MUSICAL 


GEORGE  P.  UPTON 


MUSICAL   MEMORIES 


MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

MY  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  CELEBRITIES 

OF  THE  HALF  CENTURY 

1850—1900 


BY 

GEORGE  P.  UPTON 

AUTHOR   OF    "THE   STANDARD   OPERAS,"    ETC.,    ETC. 


WITH     NUMEROUS     ILLUSTRATIONS 


CHICAGO 

A.  C.  McCLURG  &   CO. 
1908 


At  i~  r- 

U   (r> 


COPYRIGHT 

A.  C.  McClurg  &  Co. 
1908 

Published  October  3,  1908 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London,  England 


THK   UNIVERSITY   PRESS,   CAMHRinOE,   U.S.A. 


/  dedicate  these  Memories 
to  the  Ghosts 


255141 


PREFACE 

IT  is  with  the  purpose  of  preserving  my  records  of 
music  during  the  last  half  century  in  compact  and 
accessible  shape,  and  also  to  satisfy  many  friends 
who  have  suggested  that  I  should  undertake  a  work  of 
this  nature,  that  I  have  compiled  these  "Memories," 
covering  the  half  century  1850-1900.  During  nearly 
all  that  time  I  was  engaged  in  the  labor  of  musical 
criticism  in  Chicago,  and  therefore  had  unusual  oppor- 
tunities to  observe  what  was  transpiring  in  the  musi- 
cal world.  I  did  not  personally  know  Jenny  Lind, 
Henriette  Sontag,  Marietta  Alboni,  Anna  Thillon,  and 
Catherine  Hayes,  the  artists  mentioned  in  the  first 
two  chapters,  but  I  had  the  rare  pleasure  of  hearing 
them  in  concerts.  I  have  had  personal  acquaintance 
of  a  more  or  less  intimate  kind,  however,  with  all  the 
others. 

I  have  recalled  the  events  herein  set  down  from 
conversations,  managerial  statements  taken  with  the 
proper  discount,  reviews,  records,  and  programmes  I 
have  kept,  as  well  as  from  a  diary  in  which  I  jotted 
down  much  of  interest  for  reference  in  my  journalistic 
duty.  In  looking  back  over  so  long  a  period,  memory- 
may  sometimes  exaggerate  and  even  play  false,  but  I 
have  striven  to  keep  within  the  bounds  of  accuracy 


VI  PREFACE 

and  to  avoid  mere  gossip  or  statements  that  might 
wound  the  sensitive.  I  have  also  made  use  of  history 
and  biography  only  so  far  as  they  are  necessary  to  keep 
the  context  clear.  As  the  public  is  sufficiently  familiar 
in  these  days  of  personal  journalism  with  artists  still 
upon  the  stage,  I  have  confined  these  "  Memories " 
only  to  those  who  have  retired  into  the  shady  nooks 
of  life  and  to  that  other  goodly  company  for  whom 
are  the  last  words  of  Canio  in  "  Pagliacci,"  "  La  com- 
media  e  finita." 

It  follows  as  a  matter  of  course  that  these  recollec- 
tions are  mainly  local,  for  I  wrote  the  first  musical 
criticism  printed  in  a  Chicago  newspaper,  and  that 
means  a  far  cry  back  into  the  past.  In  the  hope  that 
the  beginnings  of  music  in  Chicago  may  possess  some 
interest  I  have  gone  back  to  the  first  note  Chicago 
heard,  at  a  time  when  Indians  and  coyotes  outnum- 
bered whites  there  almost  ten  to  one.  But  as  the  fifty 
years  of  Chicago's  musical  history  means  fifty  years 
of  memories  of  all  the  great  artists  who  have  been  in 
the  United  States,  the  mere  location  is  not  of  any 
special  significance. 

With  these  prefatorial  remarks  I  venture  to  submit 
these  memories  of  "days  that  are  no  more"  with  the 
hope  that  they  will  prove  of  value  to  musicians  and  will 
not  be  wholly  unacceptable  to  the  general  public. 

G.  P.  U. 
Chicago,  July  1,  1908. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

Jenny  Lind 

Arrival  of  Jenny  Lind  in  New  York  —  Her  First  Concert  —  Bar- 
num's  Methods  of  Management  —  The  Jenny  Lind  Fever  —  Her 
Enthusiastic  Reception  —  Popular  Ovations  and  Extravagance*  — 
The  Concert  in  Providence  —  Student  Delirium  —  Ross's  $650  Ticket 
—  Jenny  Lind's  Personal  Appearance  on  the  Stage  —  Her  Voice  and 
Method  of  Singing  —  The  Nobility  of  her  Character  —  Testimony  of 
her  Great  Contemporaries 17 


CHAPTER  II 

SONTAG,    ALBONI,   ThILLON,    HAYB8 

A  Flight  of  Songbirds  —  Henriette  Sontag  —  Her  Numerous  Ad- 
mirers —  The  Romance  of  her  Career  —  Marriage  to  Count  Rossi  — 
Her  Personal  Appearance  —  Her  Voice  and  Style  of  Singing  — 
Troubles  in  her  Last  Days  —  Sudden  Death  in  Mexico  —  Cruel 
Reports  of  a  Scandal  —  Sontag's  Rival,  Alboni,  the  Great  Contralto 
—  Her  Finished  Singing  —  Anna  Thillon  —  Great  Success  in  "Crown 
Diamonds"  —  Her  Beauty  and  Magnetism  —  "Kate"  Hayes  — The 
Victim  of  Speculators  —  Her  Success  in  Ballads 26 


CHAPTER  III 

Adblina  Patti 

Pattl's  Family  —  Her  Career  —  Concertizing  with  Ole  Bull  — 
The  Contract  with  Mapleson  —  Concerts  in  the  Fifties  —  Her  First 
Concert  in  Chicago  —  Her  Love  of  Dolls  —  Characteristics  of  the 
Child  Prima  Donna  —  The  Mapleson-Abbey  Competition  —  The  Patti 
Marriages  —  Her  Success  as  a  Vocalist  —  The  Farewell  Habit  —  At 
the  Auditorium  Dedication 33 


vin  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IV 

The  Pattis  and  Parodi 

Carlotta  Patti  —  Dedication  of  the  Central  Music  Hall  in  Chicago 

—  A  Comparison  with  Adelina  Patti  —  Her  Lameness  —  Natural 
Sensitiveness  —  A  Singular  Combination  of  Qualities  —  Her  Musical 
Career  —  Amalia  Patti  —  How  she  was  overshadowed  —  Carlos 
Patti  —  His  Adventurous  and  Melancholy  Career  —  Parodi  —  Why 

she  came  to  the  United  States  —  Her  Qualities  as  a  Singer     .    .       44 

CHAPTER  V 

The  Germania  Society 

The  Germania  Society  —  Gungl's  Opinion  of  Americans  —  Char- 
acteristics of  the  Germania  —  Its  Visits  to  Chicago  —  A  Critic's  Soul 
Longings  —  The  Society's  Lasting  Influence  upon  Musical  Progress  — 
The  Work  of  Individual  Members  —  The  Career  of  Carl  Bergmann  — 
The  Sad  End  of  his  Life  — Julien,  "The  Charlatan  of  all  the  Ages" 

—  His  Egotism  and  Eccentricities  —  the  "Firemen's  Quadrille,"  etc.       51 


CHAPTER  VI 

Some  Violinists 

Ole  Bull  —  His  Personality  —  Manner  of  Playing  —  A  Dreamer  — 
Unsatisfied  Visions  —  The  Romance  of  his  Life  —  His  Numerous  Fare- 
wells —  Concerts  in  Chicago  —  Remenyi  —  His  Far  Wandering  — 
Extravagances  and  Mannerisms  —  A  Memorable  Afternoon  — Sudden 
Death  —  Vieuxtemps  —  Characteristics  of  his  Style  —  Nilsson's 
Birthday  and  "The  Arkansas  Traveller"  —  Wieniawsky  —  Relations 
to  Rubinstein  —  Gambling  Losses  —  Wilhelmj  —  An  Intellectual 
Player  —  Camilla  Urao  as  Child  and  Woman  —  Her  Last  Days   .    .       57 


CHAPTER  VII 

Some  Pianists 

Thalberg  as  Man  and  Artist  —  His  Sudden  Disappearance  — 
Gottschalk  —  His  Music  and  Style  —  An  Afternoon  with  him  — 
Rubinstein  and  the  American  Tour  —  Von  Bulow  and  his  Peculiarities 
—  Jaell  and  the  Drum  —  A  Procession  of  Pianists  —  Wehli,  the  Left- 
hander, and  the  Greased  Piano  —  "Blind  Tom"  and  his  Feats  — 
Carreno      73 


CONTENTS  lx 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Some  Prima  Donnas 

Nilsson  —  Qualities  of  her  Singing  —  Her  Moods  and  Habits  — 
Many  Admirers  —  A  Memorable  Birthday  —  Pauline  Lucca  and  her 
Romantic  Career  —  Etelka  Gereter  —  A  Brief  and  Brilliant  Career  — 
The  Famous  Gerster-Patti  Episode  —  Lagrange,  Minnie  Hauck,  and 
Marie  Roze  —  Another  Famous  Episode  —  Kellogg  and  Cary  — 
Cadenzas  and  Car  Ventilation  —  Materna  and  Lehmann  —  Two  Great 
Wagner  Singers  —  Lehmann's  Plea  for  the  Animals 87 

CHAPTER  IX 

More  Footlight  Favorites 

Anne  Bishop's  Long  Career  —  Fabbri  and  "The  Star-Spangled 
Banner"  —  Frezzolini's  Vanity  —  Piccolomini,  the  Fascinating  Im- 
postor —  Her  Farewell  —  Di  Murska  —  Her  Cadenzas  and  Menagerie 
—  Emma  Abbott's  Career  —  Albani,  the  "Chambly  Girl  "  —  Burmeis- 
ter  and  Others 112 

CHAPTER  X 

Tenors  and  Bassos 

Their  Comparative  Popularity  —  Brignoli,  his  Style  and  Voice  — 
Superstitions  and  Anecdotes  —  Campanini's  Triumphs  —  Jealousy 
of  Capoul  —  A  Bout  with  Mapleson  —  Wachtel,  the  Cab-driver  — 
Old-time  Advertising  Curiosities  —  Adams,  best  American  Tenor  — 
Amodio  and  Bellini  in  the  "Liberty  Duet"  —  Hermann's  Interpola- 
tion —  Formes  in  Concert  and  Opera  —  Myron  D.  Whitney's  Ora- 
torio Triumphs 120 

CHAPTER  XI 

English  Opera 

The  Pyne- Harrison  Troupe  —  Caroline  Richings  —  Her  Industry 
and  Various  Ventures  —  The  Old  Quartette  —  Zelda,  Seguin,  Castle, 
and  Campbell  —  Henri  Drayton  —  The  Scared  Cat  —  Parepa  —  Her 
Ancestry  —  Difficulties  of  Avoirdupois  —  Bouts  with  the  Clergy  — 
Her  Marriage  —  Madame  Rudersdorf's  Tribute  —  The  Bostonians  — 
Jessie  Bartlett  Davis  — The  "Pinafore"  Fever 135 

CHAPTER  XII 

Opera  Bouffe 

First  Performances  in  Chicago  —  Lambele\  Tostee,  and  Aimee  — 
Emily    Soldene   and    the    Galtons  —  Soldene's    Literary    Ability  — 


x  CONTENTS 

Lydia  Thompson  and  the  "British  Blondes"  —  Her  War  with  the 
Newspapers  —  Her  Assault  upon  an  Editor  —  The  Tables  turned  — 
Offenbach's  Music 152 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Some  Impresarios 

Habits  of  the  Class  —  Bernard  Ullman  and  his  Bad  Qualities  — 
Maurice  Strakosch  and  his  Good  Qualities  —  Max  Maretzek's  Long 
Career  —  Jacob  Grau  and  Maurice  Grau  —  Commercialism  vs.  Art  — 
The  only  De  Vivo  —  Philosophical  Max  Strakoscb  —  Col.  James  Henry 
Mapleson  '.'of  Her  Majesty's"      159 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Theodore  Thomas 

Early  Visits  to  Chicago  —  Our  First  Meeting  —  His  Honesty  of 
Character  —  A  Loyal  Friend  —  His  Broad  Culture  —  Love  of  Con- 
viviality —  Aversion  to  Sentimentalism  —  Three  Disappointments 

—  Columbian  Exposition  —  Cincinnati  College  of  Music  —  American 
Opera  Company  —  Notable  Sayings 180 

CHAPTER  XV 

Musical  Festivals 

Patrick  Sarsfield  Gilmore  —  His  Qualities  as  a  Band  Leader  — 
Chicago  Rebuilding  Jubilee  —  National  Peace  Jubilee  —  Anvils,  Ar- 
tillery, and  Church  Bells  —  Parepa  and  Adelaide  Phillips  —  Interna- 
tional Peace  Jubilee  —  A  Monster  Aggregation  —  Musical  Effect  — 
International  Bands  —  Johann  Strauss  and  his  Personality  —  Franz 
Abt  —  Bendel  and  the  Autograph  Hunters  —  Madame  Rudersdorf 

—  Her  Peculiarities  and  Will  —  Cincinnati  Festivals  —  Chicago  May 
Festivals 194 


CHAPTER  XVI 

Early  Days  —  A  Prelude 

Mark  Beaubien's  Fiddle  —  Jean  Baptiste's  Piano  —  i'The  Man 
of  Color's"  Announcement  —  Mr.  Bowers's  Entertainment  —  The  Old 
Settlers'  Harmonic  Society  —  First  Organ  and  First  Church  Choir 
Row  —  The  First  Theatre  —  Joseph  Jefferson's  First  Appearance  — 
The  Old  Ballads  —  Debut  of  Richard  Hoffman  — J.  H.  McVicker  in 
Song  and  Dance  —  David  Kennison's  Donation  Party  —  Miscellane- 
ous Concerts  in  1850-1852 211 


CONTENTS  xi 

CHAPTER  XVII 

Early  Opera  in  Chicago 

The  First  Opera  —  '.'  Sonnambula"  at  Rice's  Theatre  —  Burning 
of  the  Theatre  —  The  Artists'  Association  —  Opera  at  McVicker's 
Theatre  —  The  first  Italian  Troupe  —  Great  Enthusiasm  —  A  Mis- 
hap at  North's  Amphitheatre  —  Operatic  Rivalry  in  1860  —  The 
War  Period  —  The  Grau  Troupes  —  Some  Home  Concerts  —  The 
First  German  Troupe  —  Grau's  Troupe  of  Mediocrities       ....       225 

CHAPTER   XVIII 

Thb  Crosby  Opera  House 

Its  Construction  —  A  Hive  of  Art  Industries  —  Dedication  in  1865 

—  An  Ovation  to  Generals  Grant  and  Sherman  —  Opera  Seasons  — 
Debuts  and  First  Performances  —  The  Lottery  —  The  Mysterious 
Mr.  Lee  —  U.  H.  Crosby  loses  the  House  —  New  Management  — 
Gilmore  inaugurates  the  Charity  Balls  —  Period  of  Decadence  — 
From  Opera  to  Vaudeville  —  Redecoration  —  Its  Destruction  in  the 
Great  Fire  —  Summary  of  Operatic  Events 237 

CHAPTER    XIX 

The  Orchestra  in  Chicago 

Julius  Dyhrenfurth'8  Story —  Ibach's  "Sharp  Corner  "  —  How  the 
First  Orchestra  was  organized  —  Various  Philharmonic  Societies  — 
Carl  Bergmann's  Failure  —  The  First  Masquerade  —  Henry  Aimer's 
Melancholy  Fate  —  The  Unger-Mozart  Rivalry  —  Hans  Balatka  — 
The  Philharmonic  of  the  Sixties  —  Its  Rise  and  Fall  —  The  Philhar- 
monic Funeral  —  Early  Chamber  Music  —  A  Glimpse  at  the  Sanger- 
fests  —  Advent  of  the  Thomas  Orchestra 253 

CHAPTER   XX 

Musical  Societies 

The  Early  Societies  —  The  Musical  Union  and  '.'  The  Haymakers" 

—  The  Mendelssohn  Society  —  The  Germania  Mannerchor  —  Internal 
Dissensions  —  Rival  Operatic  Amateur  Performances  —  The  Ger- 
mania Gemutlichkeit  —  Dyhrenfurth's  Punches  —  Dietzsch  and  his 
Coroner's  Reports  —  The  Concordia  and  Liederkranz  —  The  Oratorio 
Society  —  A  Victim  of  Fire  —  Winter  Post-fire  Entertainments  — 
Origin  of  the  Apollo  Club  —  A  Remarkable  Career  —  Carl  Wolfsohn 

and  the  Beethoven  Society 270 


xii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER    XXI 

World's  Fair  Music 

The  World's  Fair  Music  —  Its  Inception  and  Failure  —  What  was 
done  and  not  done  —  The  Forces  engaged  —  Music  of  the  Civil  War 
Period  —  Dr.  George  F.  Root  —  His  Early  Career  —  "  The  Battle  Cry 
of  Freedom  "  —  How  it  came  to  be  written  —  Root  as  a  Composer 
—  The  Auditorium  —  Home  of  Grand  Opera  —  Its  Dedication  — 
Works  performed  in  it  —  Milward  Adams's  Management  —  The 
Studebaker  Theatre  —  Home  of  Opera  in  English  —  Works  Per- 
formed in  it  —  Charles  C.  Curtiss's  Management       294 

CHAPTER    XXII 

POSTLUDE 317 


Index 323 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page 
George  P.  Upton Frontispiece 

Jenny  Lend 24 

Henriette  Sontag 30 

Marietta  Alboni 30 

Kate  Hayes 30 

Anna  Thillon 30 

Adelina  Patti.     Four  Portraits 36 

Am  alia  Patti  Strakosch 46 

Carlotta  Patti 46 

Carl  Bergmann 54 

Louis  Antoine  Julien 56 

Ole  Bull.     Two  Portraits 60 

August  Wilhelmj 68 

Sigismund  Thalberg 74 

Christine  Nilsson 92 

Pauline  Lucca 92 

Etelka  Gerster 98 

Marie  Roze.     Two  Portraits 100 

Minnie  Hauck.     Txvo  Portraits 102 

Clara  Louise  Kellogg 106 

Annie  Louise  Cary 108 

Anne  Bishop 112 

Mabietta  Piccolomini 114 


XIV  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

Ilma  di  Murska 116 

P.  Brignoli 122 

Theodore  Wachtel 126 

Italo  Campanini 126 

Myron  W.  Whitney 132 

Carl  Formes 132 

Caroline  Richings 138 

William  Castle 138 

Zelda  Seguin 138 

S.  C.  Campbell 138 

Euphrosyne  Parepa-Rosa 144 

Cabl  Rosa 144 

Ulmar,  Fabster,    and    St.  Maur  —  "  The  Three  Little 

Maids  from  School"  in  " The  Mikado  " 148 

Mlle.  Aimee 154 

Theodore  Thomas 182 

Johann  Strauss 204 

P.  S.  Gilmore 204 

The  Sauganash  Tavern 212 

Crosby's  Opera  House,  Chicago,  in  1871 238 

Thomas  Whiffen 246 

Hans  Balatka 262 

Adolph  W.  Dohn 274 

Carl  Wolfsohn 290 

George  F.  Root 300 


MUSICAL   MEMORIES 


MUSICAL  MEMORIES 


CHAPTER    I 
JENNY    LIND 

ARRIVAL    OF    JENNY    LIND    IN    NEW    YORK  —  HER    FIRST    CON- 
CERT    BARNUM's     METHODS      OF      MANAGEMENT  THE 

JENNY    LIND    FEVER HER    ENTHUSIASTIC    RECEPTION 

POPULAR     OVATIONS     AND     EXTRAVAGANCES  THE     CON- 
CERT IN  PROVIDENCE STUDENT  DELIRIUM ROSS'S  $650 

TICKET JENNY    LIND's    PERSONAL   APPEARANCE    ON   THE 

STAGE  HER    VOICE    AND    METHOD     OF    SINGING  THE 

NOBILITY     OF     HER     CHARACTER  TESTIMONY     OF     HER 

GREAT   CONTEMPORARIES 

MY  musical  memories  reach  back  to  Jenny  Lind  ; 
my  dramatic  memories  to  Elise  Rachel  —  a 
span  of  more  than  fifty  years.  Recalling  those 
far-away  days  of  youth,  I  count  it  exceptionally  fortu- 
nate that  I  have  heard  and  seen  those  two  artists,  as 
they  have  given  me  standards  of  appreciation  and  criti- 
cism. Making  due  allowance  for  the  fact  that  Jenny 
Lind  was  the  first  really  great  singer  who  came  to 
this  country,  also  for  youthful  enthusiasms,  for  the 
delirious  effects  of  that  extraordinary  popular  frenzy 
which  everywhere  characterized  her  reception,  and  for 
the  enchantment  which  distance  lends  to  the  view,  her 
singing  still  remains  my  ideal  of  the  highest  exposition 
of  the  art  of  song. 


18  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 


Jenny  Lind  arrived  in  this  country  September  1, 
1850,  convoyed  by  Phineas  T.  Barnum.  I  have  often 
wondered,  considering  her  rare  simplicity  and  unosten- 
tation,  if  she  did  not  suffer  at  times  from  the  peculiarly 
bombastic  methods  of  management  practised  by  that 
showman.  Her  first  concert  was  given  at  Castle  Gar- 
den, New  York,  September  11.  Her  supporting  artists 
were  Sir  Julius  Benedict,  Richard  Hoffman  the  pianist, 
who  was  engaged  in  New  York  for  the  American  tour,* 
and  Signor  Beletti,  barytone.  Her  numbers  in  the  open- 
ing night's  programme  were  the  "  Casta  Diva "  from 
"  Norma  "  ;  the  "  Herdsman's  Song,"  popularly  known 
as  the  "  Echo  Song  "  ;  and  the  "  Welcome  to  America," 
the  text  of  which  was  written  by  Bayard  Taylor  and 
the  music  hastily  set  by  Benedict.  She  also  sang  with 
Beletti  in  the  duet  "  Per  piacer  alia  Signora "  from 
Rossini's  "11  Turco  in  Italia,"  and  in  a  trio  from 
Meyerbeer's  "  Camp  in  Silesia,"  for  voice  and  two 
flutes. 

I  was  a  Freshman  in  Brown  University  when  I 
caught  the  Jenny  Lind  fever.  I  heard  her  for  the 
first  time  in  Boston,  but  my  recollections  of  that  occa- 
sion are  somewhat  hazy,  for  the  scenes  attending  the 
concert  were  quite  as  riotous  as  musical,  owing  to  an 
oversale  of  tickets  and  the  resultant  rage  of  the  crowd 
who  could  not  get  into  the  hall.     But  my  recollections 

*  The  American  tour  included  the  following  cities,  in  the  order  named : 
New  York,  Boston,  Providence,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Washington, 
Richmond,  Charleston,  Havana,  Matanzas,  New  Orleans,  Natchez,  Mem- 
phis, St.  Louis,  Nashville,  Louisville,  Cincinnati,  Wheeling,  Pittsburg, 
Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  New  York.  Jenny  Lind  made  a  second  tour 
after  cancelling  her  contract  with  Barnum,  giving  sixty-one  concerts 
between  June  and  December  of  1851. 


THE  JENNY  LIND   FEVER  19 

of  the  subsequent  concert  in  Providence  are  as  vivid  as 
if  it  had  taken  place  yesterday.  The  student  body,  and 
apparently  the  entire  population  of  the  city,  were  in- 
fected with  the  Jenny  Lind  fever.  Thousands  met  her 
at  the  station,  crowded  about  her  hotel,  and  lingered 
around  the  hall  at  night,  hoping  to  hear  a  note  now  and 
then,  or  at  least  catch  a  glimpse  of  her  after  the  con- 
cert. No  other  singer  in  the  history  of  the  stage  has 
received  such  ovations.  They  can  only  be  compared 
with  the  reception  of  Kossuth  when  he  visited  the 
United  States  as  the  champion  of  Hungarian  liberty, 
and  of  General  Grant  when  he  returned  triumphant  at 
the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  This  Jenny  Lind  fever  is 
worth  dwelling  upon,  for  it  was  unique. 

The  fever  began  in  Europe  during  her  operatic 
career.  Even  Berlioz  wrote  to  a  friend  at  that  time  : 
"  I  shall  not  go  to  London  this  season.  The  Lind  fever 
makes  all  musical  enterprises  impossible."  Barnum's 
keen  eye  recognized  an  opportunity  for  rich  profits 
after  she  retired  from  the  operatic  stage.  He  sent 
his  agents  abroad  and  made  a  contract,  engaging  to 
give  her  a  thousand  dollars  for  each  concert  and  her 
expenses,  also  the  expenses  of  a  lady  companion,  the 
services  of  a  maid  and  servant,  and  a  carriage  and  pair. 
Probably  misled  by  the  belief  that  Jenny  Lind's  art 
was  above  the  comprehension  of  that  day,  he  treated 
his  new  venture  after  the  manner  of  a  musical  circus. 
He  set  afloat  stories  almost  as  remarkable  as  those 
which  illustrated  the  astonishing  careers  of  Joyce 
Heth,  the  Mermaid,  and  the  Behemoth  of  Holy  Writ, 
exaggerated  her  goodness  and  generosity,  and  flooded 


20  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

the  newspapers  with  portraits,  sketches,  and  letters.  It 
was  an  incongruous  partnership,  but  genius  maintained 
its  dignity  and  truth  as  against  the  cunning  tricks  of 
the  showman. 

As  the  steamer  approached  New  York,  the  bay  was 
alive  with  boats  which  had  gone  down  to  meet  it.  She 
was  welcomed  at  the  landing  with  the  enthusiastic 
shouts  of  thousands  and  passed  to  her  carriage  under 
arches  erected  in  her  honor.  Spirited  white  horses 
conveyed  her  to  her  hotel,  followed  by  an  enormous 
crowd.  She  was  serenaded  at  midnight  by  singing 
societies  and  the  city  firemen,  for  in  those  days  firemen 
were  the  spectacular  feature  of  every  public  event. 
This  was  in  the  days  when  Chanfrau's  "  Mose  "  used  to 
delight  us  boys.  On  the  following  day  she  was  visited 
by  the  leading  officials  and  citizens.  Public  reception 
days  were  also  appointed,  and  at  such  times  the  hotel 
was  thronged  with  people  of  all  classes.  She  literally 
absorbed  everything.  Maretzek,  the  impresario,  once 
told  me  they  were  trying  days  for  him.  He  was  boom- 
ing Parodi,  a  really  excellent  prima  donna,  whose 
superb  personation  of  "  Norma"  still  lingers  in  my  mem- 
ory ;  but  resourceful  and  plucky  as  he  was,  he  could  not 
stand  the  pressure.  Before  the  week  was  out  the  store 
windows  were  rilled  with  Jenny  Lind  bonnets,  gloves, 
coats,  hats,  parasols,  combs,  jewelry,  bric-a-brac,  and 
fineries,  and  tradesmen  sent  their  wares  to  her  rooms, 
eager  for  an  advertisement.  Quacks  used  her  name. 
She  was  besieged  by  autograph  hunters  and  genteel 
beggars.  The  music  stores  published  hundreds  of 
songs,   waltzes,   and    polkas    named    after    her.     Her 


POPULAR  EXTRAVAGANCES  21 

portrait  was  in  every  shop  window.  The  choice  dishes 
of  the  hotel  menus  were  "d  la  Jenny  Lind."  The  Jenny 
Lind  pancake,  that  choice  German  confection,  survives 
even  to-day.  Young  women  dressed  their  hair  in  her 
style  and  tried  to  imitate  her  naturally  graceful  gait. 
Jenny  Lind  tea-kettles  were  advertised  by  one  dealer, 
"  which,  being  filled  with  water  and  placed  on  the  fire, 
commenced  to  sing  in  a  few  minutes."  Provision  dealers 
sold  Jenny  Lind  sausages,  and  even  cafes  and  bar-rooms 
took  her  name.  During  that  week's  fever,  however, 
one  person  is  recorded  as  immune.  He  was  a  Bowery 
boy,  and  he  is  said  to  have  replied  to  a  friend  who  told 
him  Jenny  Lind  was  the  greatest  singer  in  the  world : 
"  I  don't  know  about  that."  "  Who  is  her  equal  ?  " 
said  his  friend.  "  Who  ?  why,  Mary  Taylor.  Our  Mary 
would  sing  the  clothes  off  her  back."  The  fever  lasted 
during  the  entire  American  tour.  There  was  a  trotting 
match  in  St.  Louis,  March  19,  1851,  on  the  Prairie 
Horse  Course,  and  the  entries  were  Jenny  Lind,  Barnum, 
Benedict,  and  Beletti,  Benedict  winning  the  race.  Jenny 
Lind  never  came  to  Chicago,  as  many  suppose.  *  Chicago 
was  not  much  of  a  city,  musically  or  otherwise,  in  her 
time,  but  the  following  advertisement,  which  appeared 
in  one  of  its  papers,  October  25,  1850,  shows  that  the 
city  had  the  symptoms  of  the  fever. 

*  St.  Louis  was  the  nearest  to  Chicago  that  Jenny  Lind  came  on  her 
first  tour.  She  sent,  however,  during  the  first  week  of  her  season  in  New 
York,  $1000  to  the  Swedish  church  of  St.  Ansgarius,  then  in  process  of 
erection  in  Chicago.  During  her  second  tour  in  1851,  she  sang  in  Buffalo, 
Cleveland,  Columbus,  and  Cincinnati,  and  was  to  have  sung  also,  I  believe, 
in  Detroit  and  Chicago.  For  some  reason,  however,  she  gave  up  her  final 
concerts  and  returned  East. 


22  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

"Just  Arrived 

"  At  168  Lake  Street,  a  beautiful  lot  of  Jenny  Lind  long 
and  square  shawls,  extra  fine  quality  and  neat  and  elegant 
styles,  such  as  adorn  the  graceful  form  of  that  universal 
charmer,  the  Swedish  Nightingale,  whose  inimitable  warblings 
and  acts  of  noble  benevolence  are  now  the  admiration  of  the 
world.  Also  Jenny  Lind  dress  goods,  etc.,  at  our  one-price 
cash  store. 

Francis  Clark." 

Of  course  we  had  the  fever  in  Providence.  Every  one 
had  it  —  men,  women,  and  children,  —  and  the  students 
had  it  worse  than  the  rest.  They  even  forgot  to  go 
down  to  the  Arcade  just  to  see  Gertude  Dawes,  the 
graceful  danseuse,  walk  and  teach  the  ladies  of  Provi- 
dence how  to  wear  a  shawl.  They  even  neglected  those 
infant  phenomena,  the  Bateman  children,  and  declined 
to  see  George  Vandenhoff  and  Mrs.  Forrest  in  the  "  Lady 
of  Lyons."  Alma  Mater  threw  up  her  ancient  hands  in 
despair  and  let  her  children  have  their  way.  The  fever 
was  intensified  by  local  pride,  for  had  not  Ross,  the 
expressman,  friend  of  all  students,  paid  the  highest 
price  for  choice  of  seats,  higher  even  than  Genin  in 
New  York  and  Dodge  in  Boston,  although  of  course 
he  did  not  attend  the  concert.*  He  never  did  anything 
like  other  people.  His  eccentricities  would  fill  a  vol- 
ume. My  room-mate,  a  wild  Hoosier,  who  knew  no  more 
about  music  than  a  hen,  had  a  most  violent  attack  of 
the  fever.     He  invested  all  his  scanty  pocket  money  in 

*  The  various  premiums  paid  for  first  choice  during  the  tour  were  as 
follows :  New  York,  $225 ;  Boston,  $625 ;  Providence,  $650 ;  Philadelphia, 
$625;  Baltimore,  $100;  New  Orleans,  $240;  St.  Louis,  $150;  Nashville, 
$200;  Louisville,  $100;  and  Cincinnati,  $575. 


HER  PERSONAL  APPEARANCE  ON  THE  STAGE    23 

hairs  supplied  by  one  of  the  hotel  chambermaids,  who 
declared  she  took  them  from  Jenny  Land's  brush.  He 
paid  a  tidy  sum  for  these  souvenirs  of  the  divinity  and 
brought  them  back  exultantly.  He  reluctantly  allowed 
me  to  have  one  or  two,  and  I  kept  them  as  precious 
relics,  until  it  was  ascertained  later  that  this  thrifty 
commercial  maid  had  been  doing  a  lucrative  business 
disposing  of  her  own  and  others'  hairs.  I  have  known 
of  other  such  transactions  in  artistic  hair,  which  will 
appear  later  in  these  recollections. 

At  last  the  eventful  night  came  —  October  7, 1850,  — 
a  red-letter  date  in  memory.  The  usually  staid  city  was 
in  a  state  of  delirium,  which  astonished  those  conserva- 
tive old  families  —  the  Iveses,  Browns,  Goddards,  and 
Hoppins.  I  can  see  it  all  now  —  the  crowds,  the 
enthusiasm,  the  great  audience  inside,  and  the  vastly 
greater  crowd  outside  wishing  it  were  inside.  I  see 
Jenny  Lind  gliding  down  the  stage  with  consummate 
grace,  —  she  never  seemed  to  walk,  —  amid  the  acclama- 
tions of  the  audience ;  a  girlish  figure  of  medium  height, 
with  fair  hair  and  blue  eyes,  gowned  in  velvet,  and 
wearing  a  single  rose  in  her  hair.  She  was  plain  of 
feature,  and  yet  her  face  was  expressive  and  in  a  sense 
fascinating.  It  was  a  wholesome  face.  She  may  not 
have  been  beautiful,  judged  by  the  conventional  beauty 
tests ;  but  if  not  extremely  good-looking,  she  "  looked 
good,"  as  some  one  has  said.  And  that  goodness  drew 
every  one  to  her,  and  she  was  "  Jenny  "  with  every  one, 
—  not  Signora  Lind,  or  Mademoiselle  Lind,  or  Miss  Lind, 
but  Jenny  Lind,  as  we  say  Annie  Cary  or  Lilli  Leh- 
mann.    Her  voice,  as  I  remember  it,  was  of  full  volume 


24  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

and  extraordinary  range,  and  had  a  peculiar  penetrating 
quality  also,  because  of  its  purity,  which  made  its  faintest 
tone  clearly  audible  and  enabled  her  to  use  exquisitely 
soft  pianissimos.  Her  high  notes  were  as  clear  as  a 
lark's,  and  her  full  voice  was  rich  and  sonorous.  Her 
singing  was  genial  and  sympathetic  and  marked  by 
the  fervor  and  devotional  quality  which  characterized 
her  nature.  It  evinced  a  noble  musical  endowment 
and  great  reverence  for  her  art.  She  was  little  af- 
fected by  adulation,  but  acknowledged  the  wild,  frantic 
applause  courteously  and  with  evident  pleasure.  Bene- 
dict, her  leader,  said  "  she  made  a  conscience  of  her 
music."  The  strong  intellectual  quality  of  her  nature, 
as  well  as  her  aversion  to  gewgaws  and  shams,  her  deep 
religious  feeling,  her  simplicity  of  manner,  and  her  good- 
ness of  heart,  as  shown  by  her  numerous  acts  of  benevo- 
lence, confirm  the  truth  of  his  statement.  It  seems  to 
me  that  in  a  rare  manner  she  combined  art,  love,  and 
genius,  and  that  she  was  actuated  by  the  lofty  purpose 
of  using  them  for  the  good  of  others.  How  grandly 
she  succeeded ! 

"  Ik  Marvel "  and  George  William  Curtis  were  the 
literary  idols  of  youth  in  the  fifties.  The  former  said 
of  her  in  his  charming  "  Lorgnette  "  :  "  She  is  a  large- 
souled  woman,  with  not  an  affectation  of  the  stage  or 
one  mimicry  of  feeling  —  only  Jenny,  as  the  God  who 
made  the  people  of  the  pine  lands  as  well  as  the  people 
of  the  olives  fashioned  her ;  and  if  the  amateurs  can 
mend  her,  they  may."  And  George  "William  Curtis 
eloquently  said  of  her,  years  after  the  fever  had  burned 
itself  out :  "  The  youth  of  her  day  have  borne  her  in 


Jenny  Lind 


TESTIMONY  OF  HER   GREAT  CONTEMPORARIES        25 

their  hearts  across  a  generation,  and  their  hearts  still 
rise  at  the  mention  of  her  name,  as  the  Garde  du  Roi 
sprang  up  cheering  to  their  feet  when  the  Queen  ap- 
peared." I  was  one  of  those  youths,  and  I  have  borne 
her  in  my  heart  and  memory  across  two  generations 
and  she  remains  for  me  still  the  one  peerless  singer  I 
have  heard  on  the  concert  stage. 

What  did  some  of  the  great  ones  think  of  Jenny  Lind 
in  her  own  day  ?  Chopin  said  :  "  She  does  not  show 
herself  in  the  ordinary  light,  but  in  the  magic  rays  of 
the  aurora  borealis.  Her  singing  is  infallibly  pure  and 
true  and  has  an  indescribable  charm."  Lablache  said 
to  Queen  Victoria :  "  I  can  say  I  have  never  heard  any- 
thing like  her  singing,"  and  to  Grisi,  "  Every  note  was 
a  pearl,"  a  remark  which  Grisi  may  not  have  relished. 
Clara  Schumann  said  :  "  What  a  great,  heaven-inspired 
being  she  is  !  What  a  pure,  true  artist  soul !  Her  songs 
will  ever  sound  in  my  heart."  And  Mendelssohn  said  : 
"  She  is  as  great  an  artist  as  ever  lived  and  the  greatest 
I  have  known." 

Surely  these  should  know. 


CHAPTER  II 
SONTAG,    ALBONI,    THILLON,    HAYES 

A  FLIGHT  OF  SONGBIRDS  —  HENRIETTE  SONTAG  —  HER  NUMER- 
OUS ADMIRERS  —  THE  ROMANCE  OF  HER  CAREER  —  MAR- 
RIAGE TO  COUNT  ROSSI  —  HER  PERSONAL  APPEARANCE  — 
HER  VOICE  AND  STYLE  OF  SINGING  —  TROUBLES  IN  HER 
LAST  DAYS  —  SUDDEN  DEATH  IN  MEXICO  —  CRUEL  REPORTS 
OF  A  SCANDAL  —  SONTAG's  RIVAL,  ALBONI,  THE  GREAT  CON- 
TRALTO —  HER  FINISHED  SINGING  —  ANNA  THILLON  — 
GREAT  SUCCESS  IN  " CROWN  DIAMONDS"  —  HER  BEAUTY 
AND  MAGNETISM  —  "KATE"  HAYES  —  THE  VICTIM  OF 
SPECULATORS  —  HER  SUCCESS  IN  BALLADS 

REPORTS  from  the  United  States  must  have  in- 
duced the  belief  among  European  songbirds  that 
Jenny  Lind  had  discovered  an  inexhaustible  mu- 
sical and  golden  bonanza,  for  they  began  nocking  over 
here  before  her  second  tour  was  concluded.  Among 
them  were  four  whom  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  hear, 
—  Henriette  Sontag  (Countess  Rossi),  Marietta  Alboni 
(Countess  Pepoli),  and  untitled  Anna  Thillon  and 
Catherine  Hayes.  They  did  not  all  have  Jenny  Lind's 
good  fortune,  however,  and  two  of  them  were  bitterly 
disappointed,  as  will  appear.  They  only  gleaned  after 
her  abundant  reaping. 

Of  these  four,  Sontag  attracted  most  attention  and 
admiration,  though  Alboni  was  a  better  musician  and 
a  more  finished  singer.     Sontag's  success  was  due  in  part 


SONTAG'S  MARRIAGE  TO  COUNT  ROSSI  27 

to  her  beauty  and  engaging  manners.  About  the  time 
she  came  to  this  country  (1852)  Von  Biilow  aptly  called 
her  "  a  forty-eight  year  old  soubrette."  She  had  a  rep- 
utation indeed  as  a  fascinator  long  before  her  American 
tour.  Goethe  in  his  seventy-eighth  year,  after  meeting 
her  in  Paris,  said :  "  She  must  needs  remain  a  sweet, 
agreeable  enjoyment,"  and  Goethe  was  a  judge  of  the 
ewig  iveibliche.  He  expressed  no  opinion  of  her  sing- 
ing, possibly  because  music  generally  confused  him. 
Apparently  he  knew  little  of  the  technic  of  the  art 
beyond  what  Bettina  von  Arnim  told  him.  Rossini, 
Cherubini,  Boieldieu,  Auber,  De  Beriot,  and  Walter 
Scott  were  among  her  devoted  admirers.  She  was  lit- 
erally pursued  by  some,  among  them  Lord  Clanwilliam, 
British  Ambassador  at  Berlin,  who  was  so  persistent  in 
his  unwelcome  attentions  that  he  was  called  "Lord 
Montag  following  Sontag."  Her  success  was  also  due 
in  part  to  the  romantic  events  in  her  career.  Berlioz, 
Weber,  Liszt,  and  Beethoven  were  among  her  friends 
and  advisers.  Liszt,  who  was  always  gallant,  called 
her  "  the  Thalberg  of  Song,"  and  Berlioz  rather  neatly 
discriminated  when  he  said,  "  She  was  first  in  her  class, 
but  the  class  was  not  the  first."  At  the  very  zenith  of 
her  career,  while  enjoying  the  plaudits  of  the  multitude, 
the  friendship  of  great  musicians,  and  the  adulation  of 
titled  and  untitled  admirers,  Sontag  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  Count  Rossi,  an  Italian  diplomat,  who  wooed 
her  with  such  ardor  that  they  were  speedily  married. 
They  went  immediately  to  The  Hague,  where  he  was 
representing  Sardinia.  The  King  of  Prussia  granted 
her  the  patent  of  nobility,  whereupon  she  retired  from 


28  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

the  stage.  After  a  quiet  life  of  eighteen  years  together, 
reverses  overtook  them.  She  lost  her  fortune  and  de- 
cided to  return  to  the  stage,  and  Count  Rossi  resigned 
his  position  so  that  he  might  be  at  liberty  to  accompany 
her.  As  it  eventuated,  he  might  better  have  remained 
at  home  and  permitted  her  to  be  wage-earner  under 
some  competent  manager. 

They  came  to  this  country  in  1852,  bringing  with 
them  Pozzolini,  tenor,  and  Badiali,  barytone.  The 
stories  of  her  great  success  abroad,  of  her  remarkable 
beauty,  and  of  the  romance  of  her  career,  had  preceded 
her  and  aroused  much  interest.  Her  reception  was 
cordial,  but  there  was  no  "fever,"  as  in  the  case  of 
Jenny  Lind.  As  I  remember  Sontag,  she  was  a  blonde, 
somewhat  slight  of  figure,  with  large,  bright  blue  eyes 
and  hair  inclining  towards  auburn  in  color.  I  am 
quite  sure  I  am  right  about  this,  as  I  have  a  little  lock 
of  her  hair  which  came  from  Germany  in  a  letter  writ- 
ten by  Sontag  to  a  friend  —  I  think  I  am  justified  in  the 
belief  that  it  did  not  come  from  any  chambermaid's  hair- 
brush. As  she  was  very  pretty  and  her  toilettes  were 
elegant,  she  of  course  became  the  fashionable  rage  and 
was  guest  of  honor  at  innumerable  society  functions. 
Her  carriage  was  exceedingly  graceful  and  her  manner 
on  the  stage  sprightly,  coquettish,  and  fascinating.  Von 
Bulow  was  right  when  he  called  her  "  a  forty-eight  year 
old  soubrette."  She  was  about  that  age  when  I  saw 
her,  and  her  elegance  of  manner  and  personal  charms 
are  still  vivid  in  my  recollection.  In  these  respects  she 
was  the  Sembrich  of  her  day.  Her  voice  was  an  ex- 
quisitely pure  high  soprano,  with  a  mezzo  piano  in  it 


SUDDEN    DEATH   IN  MEXICO  29 

which  Nilsson  afterwards  used  so  effectively.  Her  exe- 
cution was  graceful  and  refined,  and  her  style  must  have 
lent  itself  best  to  roles  requiring  coquetry  and  archness, 
like  Martha,  Rosina,  or  Amina. 

Poor  Sontag's  fate  was  a  sorrowful  one.  Prima 
donnas'  husbands  are  notorious  mischief-makers  and 
intermeddlers,  if  not  hoodoos,  for  their  wives,  and  im- 
presarios always  dread  them.  The  bonanza  in  her  case 
proved  to  be  rich  in  troubles.  She  had  to  contend  in 
the  first  place  against  Alboni,  greatest  of  contraltos, 
and,  beautiful  and  fascinating  as  she  was,  she  could  not 
make  headway  against  her.  Count  Rossi  kept  her  in 
litigations,  so  irascible  was  he,  as  well  as  ignorant  of 
stage  matters.  Yielding  to  his  importunities  and  dis- 
regarding the  advice  of  friends,  they  went  to  Mexico 
at  a  time  when  the  cholera  was  epidemic  there.  After 
a  performance  of  "Lucrezia  Borgia,"  she  suddenly 
caught  the  disease  and  died  in  a  few  hours.*  Six  others 
of  her  troupe,  among  them  Pozzolini,  her  tenor,  were 
also  victims.  I  well  remember  the  excitement  which 
was  caused  when  the  first  report  came  that  Count  Rossi, 
furious  at  a  scandal  which  concerned  his  wife  and  Poz- 
zolini, had  poisoned  them  both.  Perhaps  the  report,  in 
some  indirect  manner,  may  have  grown  out  of  the  Bor- 
gia poisoning  scene  in  the  opera.  Reports  of  many 
apparently  startling  events  have  had  as  absurd  a  foun- 
dation. In  time,  however,  it  was  well  established  that 
she  had  died  of  cholera.  She  now  rests  in  peace  in  the 
convent  cemetery  of  St.  Marienthal,  near  Dresden,  by 
the   side  of   her  loved  sister,  who  was  a  nun   there, 

*  June  17,  1854. 


30  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

secluded  from  the  world  in  which  the  Countess  had  had 
such  a  brilliant  career. 

Sontag' s  dangerous  rival  was  Marietta  Alboni,  the 
greatest  contralto  of  her  time,  and  indeed  of  her  century. 
She  had  also  been  a  rival  of  Jenny  Lind  in  London 
before  the  latter  abandoned  the  operatic  stage.  She 
was  the  greatest  of  contraltos  in  a  double  sense,  for 
besides  being  a  most  finished  singer,  with  a  glorious 
voice,  she  was  blessed  with  a  most  generous  degree 
of  corpulency,  which,  however,  did  not  detract  from 
her  singing  or  prejudice  her  admirers  against  her. 
I  remember  her  even  more  distinctly  than  Sontag,  for 
it  is  impossible  to  forget  either  her  proportions  or  her 
voice.  She  could  not  be  called  handsome,  like  Sontag, 
nor  could  she  glide  gracefully  over  the  stage,  like  Jenny 
Lind,  and  yet  her  face  wore  a  genial  and  good-naturedly 
attractive  expression,  and  she  carried  herself  with  a  cer- 
tain dignity  and  high-bred  manner  that  soon  made  you 
forget  her  embonpoint.  Her  voice  was  full,  rich,  and 
sonorous,  of  extraordinary  range,  and,  for  so  big  a  voice, 
of  unusual  flexibility.  Moreover  she  was  musical,  —  a 
quality  not  always  found  in  great  singers.  That  is,  she 
sang  with  great  feeling,  with  an  intellectual  comprehen- 
sion, as  evinced  by  her  interpretation  of  sentiment  and 
idea,  with  absolute  accuracy,  with  pure,  clear  enuncia- 
tion, and  with  instrumental  facility  and  finish,  much 
in  the  style  Madame  Schumann-Heink  sings  to-day. 
Sontag  charmed  every  one ;  Alboni  specially  charmed 
musical  people. 

And  next  came  Anna  Thillon,  an  English  girl,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Hunt,  and  who  married  Monsieur 


Henriette  Sontag 
Marietta  Alboni 


Kate  Hayes 
Anna  Thillon 


ANNA  THILLON  31 

Thillon,  her  French  music-teacher.  I  wonder  if  there 
are  any  of  the  old  fellows  left,  who  have  presumed  to 
live  beyond  the  Osier  limit,  who  heard  Thillon  when  I 
did  in  the  early  fifties,  and  who  were  carried  off  their 
feet,  as  I  was,  when  I  heard  her  in  "  Crown  Diamonds," 
which  Auber  wrote  for  her.  I  wonder  if  they  remember 
how  furiously  they  applauded  when  Catarina  sang  that 
bravura  aria,  "  Love  !  at  once  I  break  thy  fetters,"  or  the 
cavatina,  "  Love  dwelleth  with  me,"  and  how  they  fan- 
cied she  was  looking  at  and  singing  to  them  only.  I 
wonder  if  they  still  recall  the  lustre  of  her  hair  and  its 
ravishing  curls  (there  were  no  colossal  pompadours  then), 
the  flash  of  her  eyes,  and  the  elegance  of  her  figure.  If 
there  are  any  of  them  left,  be  sure  they  will  rise  again 
at  the  sound  of  her  name  and  declare  to  a  man  there 
never  was  such  a  fascinator  on  the  stage.  She  was  by 
no  means  a  great  singer  compared  with  those  of  whom 
I  have  been  writing.  Indeed,  they  say  she  could  not 
begin  to  sing  the  role  of  Catarina  as  well  as  Louise 
Pyne,  who  really  first  made  the  success  of  "Crown 
Diamonds."  And  yet  she  was  one  who  cannot  be  for- 
gotten. Though  English,  she  was  a  beauty  of  the  Span- 
ish type.  She  had  a  rich  olive-hued  skin,  glorious  black 
hair,  and  dark  lustrous  eyes,  which  languished  sensuously 
and  flashed  wickedly.  She  was  one  to  rave  over  because 
of  her  personal  grace  and  fascinating  eyes  ;  and  all  golden 
youths,  and  some  youths  who  were  not  golden,  conse- 
quently raved.  There  may  be  some  of  these  youths  still 
left,  with  gray  or  whitening  polls,  who  as  they  recall  her 
will  echo  Villon's  plaint,  "Where  are  the  snows  of  yester 
year  ?  "  and  wonder  if  there  are  such  divinities  now. 


32  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

The  last  of  the  four  songbirds  is  poor  Catherine  or 
"  Kate  "  Hayes.  There  was  no  bonanza  for  her.  She 
was  mistreated,  mismanaged,  and  duped.  She  was  an 
Irish  girl,  and  when  she  left  for  this  country  her  ad- 
mirers thronged  the  quay  and  Thackeray  bade  her  good- 
bye in  some  graceful  words.  She  was  the  victim  of 
speculators,  who  foolishly  tried  to  boom  her  after  the 
Barnum  style,  but  without  Barnum' s  judgment  and 
knowledge  of  human  nature.  Because  Barnum  called 
Jenny  Lind  "  the  Swedish  Nightingale,"  they  advertised 
"Kate"  Hayes  as  "the  Swan  of  Erin."  They  set  all 
manner  of  silly  stories  afloat  about  her  and  extrava- 
gantly advertised  her  virtues,  goodness,  and  benevolence, 
as  Barnum  had  done  for  Jenny  Lind.  But  it  was  of 
no  avail.  As  her  concerts  were  not  profitable,  she  re- 
mained but  a  short  time  in  the  East,  and  then  went  to 
San  Francisco,  where  the  people  had  not  been  surfeited 
with  music,  as  it  was  too  far  off  for  singers  and  too 
expensive  to  get  there.  So  she  had  a  few  months  of 
success  and  then  went  back  to  Europe.  "  Kate  "  Hayes 
had  an  ethereal  kind  of  beauty  and  a  very  pleasant 
voice,  and  while  she  had  not  achieved  much  success  as 
an  operatic  singer,  few  in  her  day  could  sing  songs  and 
ballads  more  delightfully.  It  was  a  rare  treat  to  hear 
her  sing  Tom  Moore's  lyrics.  She  deserved  a  better 
fate.  It  was  a  brilliant  galaxy,  these  five  artists  of  the 
fifties  whom  I  have  recalled,  but  I  am  not  through  with 
that  period  yet.  I  came  to  Chicago  in  the  early  fifties 
and  met  a  little  singer  first  entering  her  teens,  whose 
name  is  writ  large  in  the  operatic  history  of  this 
country. 


CHAPTER    III 
ADELINA    PATTI 

PATTI'S  FAMILY  —  HER  CAREER  —  CONCERTIZING  WITH  OLE  BULL 
—  THE  CONTRACT  WITH  MAPLESON  —  CONCERTS  IN  THE 
FIFTIES  —  HER  FIRST  CONCERT  IN  CHICAGO  —  HER  LOVE 
OF  DOLLS  —  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  CHILD  PRIMA  DONNA 

THE       MAPLESON  -  ABBEY       COMPETITION  —  THE       PATTI 

MARRIAGES  —  HER    SUCCESS    AS    A    VOCALIST  —  THE    FARE- 
WELL HABIT  —  AT  THE   AUDITORIUM  DEDICATION 

ADELINA  PATTI  has  recently  retired  from  the 
stage  and  is  now  living  in  the  enjoyment  of 
an  ample  fortune,  for,  unlike  many  of  the 
prima  donnas  of  her  time,  she  has  provided  for  the 
rainy  days.  Her  career  has  been  exceptionally  long; 
her  stage  life  a  continuous  triumph.  In  a  remote  way 
she  can  be  affiliated  with  Jenny  Lind,  for  though  but 
a  mere  child  when  she  heard  the  great  Swedish  singer, 
she  imitated  her  manner  of  singing  so  closely  that  her 
parents  at  once  put  her  under  musical  instructors.  It 
seems  but  yesterday  that  she  was  in  her  prime,  and  yet 
she  was  a  public  singer  fifty-five  years  ago.  So,  with 
apologies  for  even  suggesting  a  lady's  age,  I  must  assign 
her  to  the  period  of  the  fifties,  —  a  young  contemporary 
of  Jenny  Lind,  Sontag,  and  Alboni. 

I  must  say  a  little  about  her  family,  for  its  history 
throws  some  light  upon  her  musical  environment  and 
heredity.  There  was  not  an  impulse,  an  influence,  or  a 
purpose  in  her  early  life  which  was  not  musical.     These 


34  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

are  the  facts  as  told  to  me  years  ago  by  Maurice  Stra- 
kosch,  her  brother-in-law.  Her  mother  was  Catarina 
Chiesa,  a  prima  donna,  who  married  Barili,  her  teacher. 
After  his  death  she  married  Salvatore  Patti,  and  as 
Catarina  Barili-Patti  she  sang  in  this  country  with  con- 
siderable success.  The  mother  must  have  been  a  more 
dramatic  singer  than  Adelina,  for  Norma  was  her  best 
role. 

Adelina's  brothers  and  sisters  were  —  Antonio,  Ni- 
colo,  Ettore,  Clotilde,  Carlos,  Amalia,  and  Carlotta. 
Antonio,  the  eldest,  born  in  Rome,  was  both  composer 
and  director,  and  ended  his  days  in  New  York  as  a 
teacher.  Nicolo  was  a  basso  of  considerable  reputation. 
Ettore  was  a  barytone,  and  became  a  teacher  after  his 
retirement  from  the  stage.  He  sang  with  Adelina  in 
Chicago  as  early  as  1855,  and  again  in  1859  in  opera, 
when  he  appeared  in  "  Rigoletto."  Clotilde  made  her 
operatic  debut  at  nineteen.  She  was  a  creature  "  of 
fire  and  dew,"  and  so  enraged  aristocratic  old  Colonel 
Thorne  of  New  York  by  marrying  his  son,  that  the 
young  pair  fled  from  his  wrath  to  Peru.  Little  was 
heard  of  them  afterwards,  except  that  the  husband  died 
at  sea  and  Clotilde  followed  him  a  few  years  later  at 
Matanzas,  Cuba.  I  will  speak  of  Amalia,  Carlotta,  and 
Carlos  in  the  next  chapter,  from  personal  acquaintance. 

I  must  say  a  few  words  also  about  Adelina's  career 
before  I  record  any  impressions  of  her.  She  was  born 
in  Madrid,  of  a  Sicilian  father  and  a  Roman  mother, 
and  never  had  a  real  home  until  in  her  later  years  she 
reached  that  castle,  so  strongly  fortified  with  conso- 
nants, —  Craig  y  nos,  Ystradgynlais,  Breconshire,  South 


ADELINA   PATTFS  CAREER  35 

Wales.  She  is  literally  cosmopolitan  and  a  child  of  the 
theatre.  Maurice  Strakosch  used  to  insist  that  she  was 
born  in  1842,  but  she  herself  has  always  declared  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1843,  to  be  the  date  of  her  birth.  Her 
mother,  while  playing  the  title  role  of  Norma  in 
Madrid,  was  taken  ill  as  the  curtain  rose  on  the  last 
act.  The  next  morning  Adelina's  little  feet  awaited  the 
road  that  was  to  lead  her  to  fame  and  fortune.  Her 
parents  brought  her  to  the  United  States  in  1845,  and 
a  year  or  two  later  they  were  identified  with  opera  in 
New  York,  under  the  management  of  Maretzek,  who  was 
just  beginning  to  experience  the  many  ups  and  downs 
of  his  checkered  career.  Adelina's  first  public  appear- 
ance was  at  a  charity  concert  in  1851.  Though  she 
was  only  in  her  eighth  year,  she  had  skill  enough  to 
sing  the  "  Ah  !  non  giunge  "  from  "  Sonnambula,"  and 
the  courage  also  to  sing  the  "  Echo  Song,"  which  Jenny 
Lind  was  then  making  so  popular.  Two  years  later 
she  went  West  and  sang  in  Chicago.  She  was  in  the 
same  city  in  1855,  concertizing  with  Paul  Julien,  the 
violinist.  In  1856  she  made  a  concert  tour  with  Mau- 
rice Strakosch.  During  the  tour  she  met  Ole  Bull  in 
Baltimore,  and  Strakosch  induced  him  to  join  the  com- 
pany, which  also  included  Morini,  barytone ;  Schreiber, 
cornetist ;  and  Roth,  pianist.  She  afterwards  made  a 
short  tour  with  Gottschalk,  the  pianist.  On  November 
24,  1859,  she  made  her  operatic  debut  in  New  York  in 
the  title  role  of  Lucia.  Ulmann,  the  impresario,  at 
first  objected  to  her  taking  a  leading  role,  because  she 
was  so  young  and  childish  in  figure,  but  at  last  he  gave 
his  consent,  and  he  never  regretted  it,  for  he  found  that 


36  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

this  girl  of  sixteen  had  an  exceptionally  beautiful  voice, 
a  brilliancy  of  execution  equal  to  that  of  the  older  art- 
ists, and  that  she  was  conversant  with  the  leading  roles 
in  "  Sonnambula,"  "  The  Barber  of  Seville,"  "  Traviata," 
"  Martha,"  and  a  dozen  more  operas.  Her  knowledge 
of  languages  was  a  great  help  to  her  at  that  time.  As 
she  was  destined  for  the  stage,  even  in  her  infant  days, 
her  parents  gave  special  attention  not  only  to  her  musi- 
cal, but  also  to  her  linguistic,  training.  She  could  speak 
French,  Italian,  and  English  fluently,  and  later  she  ac- 
quired German  and  Spanish.  In  1860  she  made  another 
western  tour  with  her  sister  Amalia,  Brignoli,  the  tenor, 
and  the  bassos,  Ferri  and  Junca.  In  1861  she  went  to 
London  and  made  her  English  debut.  The  metropolis 
was  wild  over  her.  Then  followed  a  series  of  triumphs 
in  Brussels,  Berlin  (where  she  sang  in  the  same  company 
with  Lucca),  Amsterdam,  The  Hague,  Paris,  and  Vienna. 
In  1869  she  was  under  engagement  to  Mapleson,  senior, 
and  the  Colonel  once  showed  me  a  copy  of  the  contract. 
As  I  remember  it,  it  provided  that  she  should  not  sing 
on  days  of  travel  or  sickness  ;  that  she  should  sing  two 
or  three  times  a  week,  as  she  chose;  that  she  might 
select  the  operas  in  which  she  appeared ;  and  that  her 
remuneration  should  be  $2500  a  night,  besides  the 
travelling  expenses  of  herself,  her  husband,  and  four 
other  persons.  This  was  liberal  pay  when  it  is  consid- 
ered that  about  this  time  Nilsson  was  paid  $1000  for 
each  performance,  with  certain  allowances,  and  that 
Jenny  Lind's  first  contract  with  Barnum  called  for 
only  $1000  and  expenses.  But  Patti,  it  is  reported, 
has  been  paid  as  high  as  $5000  a  night  since  those 


Adelina  Patti 


ADELINA  PATTI'S  CAREER  37 

days.*      With  her  career  since   1869  my  readers  are 
sufficiently  acquainted. 

As  will  be  seen  by  these  brief  statements  of  family 
history  and  of  her  own  career,  Adelina  Patti  was  born 
in  music  and  has  lived  in  a  musical  atmosphere  all  her 
life  —  and  this  means  everything  to  a  singer.  She  was 
on  the  stage  continuously  from  her  eighth  year  to  that 
of  her  retirement.  She  was  taken  to  the  theatre  when- 
ever her  mother  sang,  and  the  details  of  the  stage  were 
firmly  impressed  upon  her  young  mind.  Sometimes  its 
proprieties  were  impressed  upon  her  in  other  ways.  Upon 
one  occasion,  when  her  mother  was  singing  in  "  Norma," 
Adelina  went  to  the  rehearsal,  as  she  was  to  be  one  of 
the  children.  Not  content  with  her  voiceless  role,  she 
persisted  in  singing  her  mother's  part,  whereupon  she 
was  soundly  spanked  before  the  company  and  the  or- 
chestra. I  first  heard  her  in  the  early  fifties  at  the 
Tremont  House,  Chicago,  where  she  sang  in  a  dining- 
room  concert.  She  was  singing  bravura  arias  with  the 
utmost  ease  and  facility  at  an  age  when  most  children 
are  contented  with  "  Twinkle,  twinkle,  little  star."  As 
I  recall  her,  I  see  a  somewhat  delicate,  pale-faced, 
dark-browed  child,  with  thick  glossy  black  hair  hanging 
in  two  long  braids  down  her  back,  dressed  in  rose- 
colored  silk,  pink  stockings,  and  pantalettes.  She  is 
perfectly  at  ease  and  glances  around  confidently,  with  a 
mischievous  smile  lurking  about  her  mouth,  but  reserv- 
ing her  special  radiance  for  rows  of  young  girls  in  the 

*  These  are  the  prices  said  to  be  paid  to  several  leading  artists  at  the 
present  time:  Melba,  $3000;  Caruso,  $3000;  Nordica,  $2000;  Schu- 
mann-Heink,  $1800;  Fremstad,  $1800;  Sembrich,  $1500;  Eames,  $1500; 
Gadski,  $1200 ;  Plangon,  $1200. 


38  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

front  chairs,  with  some  of  whom  she  has  made  a  hotel 
acquaintance.  Upon  this  occasion  she  followed  up  the 
execution  of  a  brilliant  aria  with  a  request  most  uncon- 
ventionally made  to  her  friend  Nellie,  who  seemed  to  be 
the  favorite  in  the  little  diva's  dominion,  to  come  to  her 
room  when  the  concert  was  over  and  get  acquainted 
with  the  sweetest  doll  in  the  world.  At  that  time  she 
doted  upon  children,  dolls,  candy,  and  birds.  She  could 
be  induced  to  sing  any  time  by  the  promise  of  a  box  of 
candy  or  a  bird  in  a  cage.  She  was  an  imperious  little 
creature  also.  She  hated  encores  as  bitterly  as  Theodore 
Thomas  did.  When  they  were  called  for,  she  would  re- 
fuse to  give  them.  The  insistence  of  the  audience  at 
last  would  exasperate  her,  and  she  would  shake  her 
head  vigorously.  Thereupon  the  amused  audience  would 
redouble  its  efforts,  only  ceasing  when  she  began  to 
manifest  anger  by  stamping  her  little  foot.  It  was  a 
gala  season  in  Chicago  when  "  Signora  Adelina  Patti " 
was  advertised  to  appear  with  Ole  Bull  at  Tremont 
Music  Hall.  Ole  himself  was  comparatively  young  in 
those  days,  but  he  looked  ancient  by  the  side  of  the  as- 
sisting prima  donna  in  her  short  skirts.  It  was  at  this 
period,  by  the  way,  that  he  began  his  dangerous  practice 
of  farewelling.  It  rapidly  grew  into  a  habit,  and  at 
last  he  could  not  shake  it  off.  He  gave  plain  farewells, 
"  grand  "  farewells,  "  last "  farewells,  "  absolutely  last " 
farewells,  and  "  positively  last "  farewells  all  the  rest  of 
his  life,  and  blithely  reappeared  in  Chicago  almost  every 
year  during  the  next  quarter  of  a  century.  Perhaps  it 
was  not  his  fault.  He  may  have  had  a  retiring  disposi- 
tion.     It  was  unfortunate,  however,  because  Adelina 


CONCERTIZING  WITH  OLE  BULL  39 

caught  the  infection  and  gave  us  many  farewells,  pa- 
thetic and  lovely,  closing  each  with  "  Home,  Sweet 
Home  "  ;  but  she  was  always  forgiven,  for  who  could  sing 
"Sweet  Home"  like  her?  In  these  concerts  Ole  Bull 
made  us  acquainted  with  "The  Mother's  Prayer,"  Paga- 
nini's  "  Witch  Dance,"  and  "  The  Carnival  of  Venice," 
and  threw  audiences  into  spasms  of  patriotic  enthusiasm 
with  variations  on  national  airs.  And  what  was  the 
child  who  should  have  been  singing  children's  songs  at 
her  age  doing  ?  She  was  executing  "  0,  Luce  di  quest' 
anima  "  from  "  Linda,"  "  Ah  !  non  giunge  "  from  "  Son- 
nambula,"  "Ah!  fors  e  lui"  from  "Traviata,"  and  the 
bravura  arias,  with  "  Coming  through  the  Rye "  and 
Jenny  Lind's  "  Echo  Song  "  thrown  in  for  good  weight. 
And  how  the  youngster  sang  them  !  And  how  those 
men  and  women,  most  of  whom  are  now  under  the 
daisies,  applauded !  It  was  a  young  city  then,  had  n't 
heard  much  fine  music,  and  took  to  the  young  singer. 
There  was  not  much  temperament,  not  much  feeling  or 
thrill  to  her  singing,  but  who  could  resist  the  spell  of  her 
ease  and  facility  of  execution,  the  clearness  and  purity  of 
her  tones,  and  her  absolute  musical  self-possession,  —  in 
a  word,  the  perfect  mechanism  which  nature  had  put  in 
her  throat,  even  if  there  was  not  much  soul  behind  it  ? 
I  believe  the  child  knew  she  was  to  be  one  of  the  great- 
est vocalists  of  all  time  and  needed  no  one's  assurance 
to  that  effect.  Three  or  four  years  after  this  period,  on 
the  eve  of  her  operatic  debut  in  New  York,  some  one  asked 
her  if  she  did  not  dread  it.  She  looked  up  in  the  most 
unconcerned  manner  and  replied  that  she  did  not  dread 
it  at  all.     She  had  always  known  she  must  make  a 


40  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

debut,  and  she  might  as  well  make  it  then  as  any  time. 
She  anticipated  it  with  joy,  for  she  knew  she  would 
succeed  —  and  she  did. 

Adelina  Patti's  most  remarkable  appearances  in 
Chicago  were  in  the  eighties.  In  1884  she  headed 
Colonel  Mapleson's  troupe,  which  also  comprised 
Gerster,  Pappenheim,  Vicino,  Galassi,  Perugini,  and 
her  husband,  Nicolini.*  Chicago  has  not  had  such  a 
feast  of  operatic  music  since.  It  was  the  year  of  the 
famous  competition  between  Abbey  and  Mapleson.  The 
pompous  but  optimistic  old  Colonel  had  out-manoeuvred 
Abbey  by  getting  Patti,  who  really  wished  to  go  with 
the  latter;  but  on  the  other  hand,  Abbey  had  Nilsson, 
Sembrich  (her  first  appearance  in  Chicago),  Fursch- 
Madi,  Valleria,  Scalchi,  Campanini,  Trebelli,  Capoul, 
and  Del  Puente.  These  two  companies  were  housed 
under  the  same  roof,  and  for  a  wonder  were  a  happy 
family,  for  Mapleson  and  Abbey  monopolized  all  the 

*  Adelina  Patti  has  been  married  three  times.  In  1863  she  was  be- 
trothed to  Henri  de  Lossy,  Baron  de  Ville,  a  minor  like  herself,  but  it  is 
said  that  the  match  was  broken  up  by  her  father  and  Maurice  Strakosch,  her 
brother-in-law.  She  was  married  in  1868  to  the  Marquis  de  Caux,  "officer 
of  ordnance  to  the  Emperor,  and  aide-de-camp  of  the  Empress  as  director 
of  court  cotillons."  The  banns  were  very  stately:  "M.  Louis  Sebastian 
Henri  de  Roger  de  Cahusac,  Marquis  de  Caux,  fils  du  Comte  et  de  Demoi- 
selle Huguet  de  Varange,  actuellement  femme  du  Due  de  Velney,  et  Mile. 
Adele  Jeanne  Marie  Patti,  propri6taire,  fille  de  M.  Salvatore  Patti  et  de 
Catherine  Bhirza,  rentiers."  They  were  divorced  in  1877,  Patti  averring 
that  the  Marquis  was  violently  and  ridiculously  jealous,  that  he  abused 
her  and  struck  her,  and  insulted  her  by  often  telling  her  that  he  cursed 
the  day  when  he  married  a  strolling  actress,  and  the  Marquis  averring 
that  in  his  marriage  he  was  actuated  by  tender  affection,  and  that  she 
gradually  grew  cold  and  irritable,  disregarded  her  duties,  and  lived  away 
from  him.  In  1886  she  married  Nicolini  (stage  name  for  Ernest  Nicholas), 
the  tenor,  with  whom  she  lived  happily.  After  his  death,  a  few  years 
later,  she  married  her  present  husband,  Baron  Rolf  Cedarstrbm  (1899). 


THE  MAPLESON-ABBEY   COMPETITION  41 

hostility.  To  add  to  the  attractions  of  that  memorable 
season,  Henry  Irving  and  Ellen  Terry  were  playing  an 
engagement.  It  was  an  embarrassment  of  entertain- 
ment. Adelina  Patti  appeared  again  at  the  brilliant 
Opera  Festival  in  the  old  Exposition  Building  in  1885, 
and  again  at  the  dedication  of  the  Auditorium  in  1889. 
She  retained  her  girlish  personal  charm  in  opera,  and 
added  to  it  a  certain  dignity  and  refinement  and  ap- 
parently absolute  self-possession.  She  walked  the 
stage  as  one  "to  the  manner  born."  This,  however, 
must  have  been  something  of  an  effort,  for  she  once  told 
me  that  it  made  her  nervous  to  see  her  name  on  a  pro- 
gramme, and  that  when  she  came  out  on  the  stage  and 
faced  an  audience  she  had  a  feeling  of  fear.  She  ap- 
parently knew  the  secret  of  perpetual  youth,  for  to  the 
very  last  of  her  stage  appearances  she  seemed  to  be 
the  Patti  of  the  olden  days,  fresh,  young,  and  charming. 
When  she  was  sixty-four,  she  told  a  friend  that  up  to 
the  time  she  was  forty  she  ate  and  drank  what  she 
pleased,  but  after  that  followed  a  stricter  regime,  never 
touching  liqueurs  or  spirits,  but  limiting  herself  to  white 
wine  diluted  with  soda,  eschewing  heavy  food,  and 
sleeping  with  open  windows  but  avoiding  draughts.  In 
this  way  she  had  preserved  her  youthful  appearance. 
She  had  preserved  her  voice  so  long  by  her  perfect 
Italian  method  and  avoidance  of  exposure,  and  by 
never  forcing  it. 

Considered  purely  as  a  vocalist,  Adelina  Patti  was 
the  most  consummate  and  brilliant  singer  of  her  time. 
In  roles  requiring  grace,  elegance,  and  ornate  vocaliza- 
tion she  was  unrivalled.      Her  voice  kept  youthfully 


42  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

fresh,  and  her  command  of  it,  even  to  the  most  delicate 
shading,  was  absolute.  In  runs  and  staccato  passages 
who  could  surpass  her?  Every  phrase,  every  trill, 
however  long,  was  delivered  with  the  facility  and  per- 
fection of  an  instrument.  As  to  her  characters,  I 
always  liked  her  Zerlina  in  "  Don  Giovanni,"  for  its 
spontaneousness';  her  Rosina  in  "The  Barber  of  Seville," 
for  astonishing  technic;  and  Violetta  in  "La  Traviata," 
best  of  all,  for  its  display  of  all  the  Patti  qualities. 
She  never  sang  in  the  Wagner  operas,  but  at  one  time 
she  wanted  to  sing  Elsa  in  "Lohengrin."  It  is  said  that 
the  Marquis  de  Caux,  her  husband,  who  disliked  Wag- 
ner, would  not  let  her.  She  also  said  once  that  Wagner 
wrote  the  part  of  Kundry  in  "Parsifal"  for  her,  but 
she  declined  to  sing  it,  as  it  did  not  suit  her  voice  and 
called  for  "  too  much  screeching."  It  is  likely  that  she 
found  all  the  Wagner  roles  unsuited  to  her  voice.  It  is 
fortunate  that  she  did  not  undertake  them.  I  think 
Theodore  Thomas  summed  up  Patti  when  he  said  in  his 
terse  way :  "  Patti's  voice  was  of  delicate  quality  and 
great  charm,  easy  in  delivery,  and  true,  like  the  song  of 
a  bird  —  but  it  expressed  no  more  soul  than  the  singing 
of  a  bird." 

Patti,  as  I  have  already  said,  bade  us  many  sweet 
and  tuneful  farewells.  The  first  one  was  in  1855,  she 
being  at  that  time  twelve  years  of  age.  Upon  that  oc- 
casion she  bade  "  farewell  to  America  "  at  Metropolitan 
Hall  in  Chicago,  and  was  assisted  in  the  parting  by 
Paul  Julien,  the  violinist,  and  her  brother  Ettore.  In 
that  concert  she  sang  a  waltz  song,  written  by  herself 
and  dedicated  to  "the  ladies  of  America."     Ithink  it 


THE  FAREWELL  HABIT  43 

was  called  "  Fior  di  primavera."  Its  life,  however,  was 
very  brief.  Then  she  bade  us  another  graceful  and 
touching  good-bye  in  1882,  when  she  sang  in  concert 
in  Chicago  with  Nicolini,  who  sometimes  accidentally 
sang  a  note  or  two  in  tune.  The  last  farewell  which 
I  attended  was  at  the  dedication  of  the  Auditorium  in 
1889.  At  that  time,  in  her  forty-sixth  year,  she  dis- 
played the  same  ease  of  manner,  the  same  fine  method 
of  vocalization  which  had  so  long  characterized  her,  but 
there  were  clearly  apparent  the  necessity  of  husbanding 
her  resources  and  of  greater  care  in  singing,  a  lack  of 
the  old  strength  in  the  high  notes,  and  a  suspicion  of 
wavering  intonation.  I  heard  her  at  that  time  in 
Gounod's  "  Romeo  and  Juliet."  The  waltz  arietta 
failed  of  an  encore,  but  Fabbri  in  the  "Page's  Song" 
carried  off  one.  That  told  the  story.  Five  or  six  years 
ago  Patti  was  announcing  another  last,  final,  unwider- 
ruflich  allerletzte  farewell  in  Germany.  Last  year  I 
read  that  Patti  made  a  final  appearance  at  Belfast, 
and  the  good-bye  song  was  "  Home  !  Sweet  Home." 
How  she  used  to  sing  that  simple  old  melody !  And 
"  II  Bacio  "  and  the  "  Venzano  "  and  the  "  Echo  Song  " 
and  "  Robin  Adair  "  !  She  amply  fulfilled  the  prediction 
of  Jenny  Lind  and  Alboni  that  she  would  become  a 
great  artist.  She  has  delighted  thousands  with  her  art, 
and  she  now  rests  upon  her  laurels,  well  and  honorably 
earned. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE    PATTIS    AND    PARODI 

CARLOTTA  PATTI  —  DEDICATION  OF  THE  CENTRAL  MUSIC  HALL 
IN  CHICAGO  —  A  COMPARISON  WITH  ADELINA  PATTI  — 
HER  LAMENESS  —  NATURAL  SENSITIVENESS  —  A  SINGULAR 
COMBINATION  OF  QUALITIES  —  HER  MUSICAL  CAREER  — 
AMALIA  PATTI  —  HOW  SHE  WAS  OVERSHADOWED  —  CARLOS 

PATTI HIS    ADVENTUROUS    AND    MELANCHOLY    CAREER  — 

PARODI  —  WHY  SHE  CAME  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  —  HER 
QUALITIES  AS  A  SINGER 

CARLOTTA  PATTI  should  not  be  forgotten  in 
Chicago.  Adelina,  her  sister,  dedicated  the  Audi- 
torium, but  Carlotta,  on  the  evening  of  Decem- 
ber 8,  1879,  dedicated  the  Central  Music  Hall.  The 
latter  has  now  been  demolished  to  make  room  for  the 
spread  of  trade,  but  its  associations,  even  more  pleasant 
than  those  of  the  Auditorium,  will  always  be  cherished 
by  its  old  patrons,  and  its  history  marks  one  of  the  most 
interesting  chapters  in  the  local  musical  records.  Upon 
the  above  mentioned  evening  Carlotta  Patti  had  the 
assistance  of  Kelten,  pianist;  Toedt,  tenor;  Ciampi- 
Cellag,  barytone,  and  Ernest  de  Munck,  'cellist.  I  think 
she  was  the  wife  of  the  latter  musician  at  that  time. 
She  made  her  Chicago  debut  in  1869  at  a  concert  with 
Ritter,  pianist ;  Henry  Squires,  tenor ;  Prume,  an  ele- 
gant violinist ;  and  Hermanns,  the  ponderous- voiced 
basso,   who   subsequently   made   a   notable   reputation 


CARLOTTA  PATTI  COMPARED  WITH  ADELINA  45 

as  Mephistopheles  in  Gounod's  "  Faust."  She  made 
another  visit  to  Chicago  in  1870  with  Bitter  and  Her- 
manns, also  with  Habelman,  the  tenor,  and  Sarasate, 
violinist. 

I  have  often  thought  that  if  Carlotta  had  not  been 
handicapped  by  lameness,  occasioned  by  the  fracture  of 
her  hip  in  childhood,  she  would  have  eclipsed  Ade- 
lina's  fame  in  opera.  She  was  the  more  beautiful  of 
the  two  —  indeed  she  was  the  most  beautiful  member 
of  a  very  handsome  family.  Her  voice  was  as  rich  in 
quality  as  Adelina's  and  its  range  even  higher.  Her 
technical  accomplishments  were  fully  as  wonderful. 
She  delighted  in  singing  music  written  specially  to  show 
off  the  violin  technic.  In  all  these  respects  she  was  as 
bountifully  equipped  for  the  operatic  stage  as  her  sister, 
but  the  unfortunate  mishap  in  her  childhood  confined 
her  within  the  narrow  limits  of  the  concert  stage.  Be- 
sides these  qualities  she  not  only  had  genuine  feeling 
and  fine  sentiment,  but  decided  dramatic  ability.  It  was 
evidenced  in  every  song  she  sang.  It  must  have  been 
bitter  for  her  to  endure  her  confinement  to  the  concert- 
room,  and  now  and  then  she  must  have  envied  the  bril- 
liant career  of  her  sister  in  that  particular  realm  of  music 
for  which  she  was  so  richly  endowed.  This  feeling  once 
came  to  the  surface.  It  was  in  Birmingham,  England, 
in  1871.  Her  manager  imprudently  advertised  her  as 
"  the  sister  of  the  celebrated  Adelina  Patti."  The  Patti 
wrath  flamed  up  in  her,  and  she  refused  to  sing.  When 
it  had  cooled  down  and  she  had  taken  the  sober,  second 
thought,  she  consented  to  appear,  but  she  sent  a  letter  to 
the  press,  from  which  I  make  the  following  quotation  : 


46  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

"  I  did  indeed  think  it  strange  that  under  my  name  on  the 
placards,  as  well  as  on  the  programmes,  should  have  been 
placed  the  words,  'sister  of  Adelina  Patti.'  Though  but  a 
twinkling  star  by  the  side  of  the  brilliant  planet  called 
Marchioness  de  Caux,  I  am  nevertheless  too  proud  of  the 
humble  reputation  which  Europe  and  America  have  con- 
firmed to  allow  anybody  to  try  to  eclipse  my  name  by  the 
dangerous  approximation  of  that  of  my  dear  sister,  to  whom 
I  am  bound  by  the  tenderest  affection." 

When  it  is  considered  that  the  relations  of  the  two 
sisters  were  reported  at  that  time  to  be  friendly  but  not 
intimate,  much  may  be  read  between  the  lines  of  this 
diplomatic  note.  The  member  of  the  family  with  whom 
she  was  most  intimate  was  her  unfortunate  brother, 
Carlos,  whom  also  she  most  closely  resembled  in  facial 
appearance. 

Carlotta  Patti' s  nature  was  made  up  of  a  singular 
combination  of  qualities.  When  among  her  intimates, 
she  was  the  very  soul  of  good  nature,  and  I  have  seen 
her  when  she  was  bubbling  over  with  fun  and  sparkling 
with  repartee.  But  with  strangers,  or  persons  seeking 
to  make  her  acquaintance  out  of  mere  idle  curiosity, 
she  was  reserved  and  forbidding.  She  was  by  nature 
imperious  and  haughty,  quick  tempered,  and  brusque  of 
speech.  She  was  very  fond  of  social  functions,  although 
her  lameness  prevented  her  from  dancing.  She  was 
also  devoted  to  dress  and  personal  adornment,  and  was 
luxurious  in  her  habits  and  fond  of  elegant  ease, — 
conditions  which  may  have  been  superinduced  by  her 
physical  impediment. 

Carlotta  Patti's  musical  career,  though  confined  to 
the  concert  stage,  was  exceptionally  brilliant.    She  made 


n 


> 

H 
H 


> 

/» 

\ 

.  \ 

__^-«    •    . 

H^k>  ll  * * 

*\ 

*  V^v?  £                     ^Wra^k- 

k 

^tK^j  ~>9n£  %           ^y  *  ~dUJp 

n"        * 

'•^JP^^Kv^'    '    '*       ^FjQv. 

'^^JUfff'lSfi^ 

7*- ,     "  Jp^^Bm>]^^ 

X           * 

"'""' 

1     - 

V   ^ 

* 

2 


- 
> 


H 

> 
?! 
O 


AMALIA  PATTI  47 

her  debut  in  1861,  and  her  success  was  instantaneous. 
She  gave  concerts  all  over  this  country  and  Europe, 
and  became  a  universal  favorite.  She  died  in  Paris,  the 
city  she  loved  best,  in  1889.  The  gayety  and  excite- 
ments of  that  city  just  suited  her  pleasure-craving 
nature. 

With  one  sister  queen  of  the  opera,  and  another  sister 
queen  of  the  concert-room,  what  was  left  for  Amalia 
Patti  but  a  quiet,  uneventful  stage  life  in  this  double 
shadow,  the  applause  only  of  those  who  really  knew 
something  about  music,  and  devotion  to  the  interests 
of  her  manager-husband,  Maurice  Strakosch  ?  She  was 
graceful  and  handsome,  —  all  the  Pattis  were,  as  I  have 
said.  She  was  an  excellent  singer,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
being  a  Patti.  She  had  decided  talent,  but  it  was  not 
sufficient  to  place  her  in  the  highest  rank.  Unlike  her 
two  more  gifted  sisters,  she  had  a  contralto  voice.  She 
was  the  oldest  child  of  the  second  marriage,  and  made 
her  debut  in  "  Beatrice  di  Tenda,"  at  the  Astor  Place 
Opera  House,  New  York,  in  1847.  Maurice  Strakosch 
first  met  her  in  1848,  when  arranging  a  concert  tour 
with  Anna  Bishop,  Parodi,  and  herself.  They  were 
married  at  the  close  of  that  tour,  and,  as  far  as  I  know, 
"  lived  happily  ever  after."  She  came  to  Chicago 
during  the  tour,  again  in  1853  with  Steffanone,  Paul 
Julien,  and  her  husband,  who  was  an  excellent  pianist, 
the  most  dignified  of  managers,  and  most  philosophical 
of  men.  He  always  rose  superior  to  the  accidents  men- 
acing the  box-office  and  the  absurd  caprices  of  artists. 
Amalia  Patti' s  next  concert  visit  was  in  1854  with  Ole 
Bull.      Her  voice  was  not  a  powerful  one,  nor  was  it 


48  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

very  dramatic,  but  she  was  always  an  enjoyable  singer. 
It  was  a  pleasure  to  listen  to  her  smooth,  quiet,  melo- 
dious, and  well- trained  manner  of  singing,  as  it  was  to 
watch  her  pretty  face,  her  graceful,  high-bred  person- 
ality, and  the  quiet  elegance  of  her  stage  deportment. 
She  appeared  many  times  in  Chicago  in  opera,  and  while 
she  never  roused  wild  enthusiasm  with  furious  outbursts 
of  declamation  or  brilliant  feats  of  technic,  she  was  a 
favorite  with  musical  people  because  they  were  confident 
she  would  do  everything  correctly.  I  have  known  an 
audience  to  go  wilder  over  a  single  sforzando  of  Bri- 
gnoli's,  a  high  C  of  Wachtel's,  or  one  trill  by  Adelina 
Patti,  than  they  would  over  an  evening  of  perfect  en- 
sembles. In  a  word,  Amalia's  career  was  colorless 
because  it  was  continually  in  the  Adelina-Carlotta 
penumbra. 

I  never  met  Carlos  Patti,  the  brother,  but  once.  He 
was  born  in  Lisbon  and  studied  the  violin  in  Milan. 
Then  he  went  with  his  half-brother  Antonio  to  Mexico 
and  played  in  concerts.  He  was  of  a  roving,  adventur- 
ous nature  and  had  so  many  of  the  Southern  qualities 
that  he  became  a  favorite  in  New  Orleans,  Mobile,  St. 
Louis,  and  other  Southern  cities.  He  was  in  the  Confed- 
erate States  Signal  Service  and  for  a  time  was  a  member 
of  General  Beauregard's  staff  during  the  Civil  War 
period.  He  did  not  remain  long  in  the  service,  however, 
but  drifted  about  from  place  to  place.  At  one  time  he 
was  leader  at  the  New  Orleans  Opera  House,  at  another 
at  the  Wakefield  Opera  House,  St.  Louis,  and  at  another 
conducted  Fisk's  opera  troupe.  It  was  about  this  time, 
I  believe,  that  he  estranged  himself  from  his  family  by 


CARLOS  PATTI  — PARODI  49 

marrying  a  member  of  this  troupe.  He  made  one  or 
two  visits  North,  and  it  was  during  one  of  these,  in  1863, 
that  I  met  him.  He  was  in  the  same  company  with 
Gottschalk,  Brignoli,  and  Angiolina  Cordier.  He  was 
a  handsome,  graceful  young  fellow,  but  reserved,  melan- 
choly, and  evidently  disappointed  with  his  career  and  his 
life.  It  was  difficult  to  make  conversation  with  him, 
he  was  so  shy  and  reticent.  He  had  all  the  family 
pride,  but  he  knew  he  had  not  kept  up  the  family  prestige 
or  kept  pace  with  its  success.  He  alone  of  the  four 
was  not  well  received.  He  played  accurately  and  skil- 
fully, but  coldly  and  perfunctorily.  His  heart  was  not 
in  it.  He  had  had  many  troubles,  and  at  last  the  bur- 
den became  too  heavy  for  him,  and  he  died  alone  in 
St.  Louis  in  1873. 

I  have  mentioned  Parodi  in  connection  with  Amalia 
Patti  and  must  say  a  little  about  her,  as  she  played  quite 
an  important  part  on  the  concert  and  opera  stage  during 
the  fifties.  Maretzek  had  an  opera  company  in  New 
York  in  1850,  and  when  he  heard  of  Barnum's  contract 
with  Jenny  Lind,  he  prepared  for  a  struggle  by  sending 
to  London  for  Parodi.  She  had  been  a  pupil  of  the 
great  Pasta  and  had  a  European  reputation  behind  her. 
As  an  offset  to  the  Barnum  fictions.  Maretzek  started 
the  story  that  just  as  Parodi  was  about  to  leave  Lon- 
don, the  Duke  of  Devonshire  offered  her  his  hand  and 
fortune,  but  so  great  was  her  sense  of  duty  that  she 
declined  both  rather  than  break  her  engagement.  Other 
myths  were  set  afloat  by  Maretzek,  but  he  was  no 
match  for  Barnum  in  short  stories.  The  people  had 
caught  the  Jenny  Lind  fever,  and  Maretzek  and  Parodi 


50  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

must  perforce  wait  until  it  subsided.  After  it  had 
run  its  course,  Parodi  had  quite  a  little  success  under 
Maretzek,  and  later  under  Strakosch  and  Mapleson, 
and  deserved  more,  for  she  was  really  an  excellent 
artist.  She  was  of  the  Italian  type  of  beauty,  tall  and 
stately,  and  a  prima  donna  of  the  robust  school.  Her 
voice  was  rich  in  quality,  and  she  sang  in  good  tune  and 
not  without  brilliancy,  although  she  was  often  intensely 
energetic  and  "  ranted,"  if  I  may  apply  that  dramatic 
term  to  singing.  Her  commanding  presence  and  superb 
posing  were  very  effective  in  such  roles  as  Semiramide 
and  Norma.  She  was  in  Chicago  many  times  during 
the  fifties  —  in  1851  with  Amalia  Patti  and  Arthurson, 
the  tenor;  in  1855  with  Amalia  Patti  and  Giovanni 
Leonardi,  the  tenor;  and  in  1856  with  Tiberini,  the 
tenor,  Morini,  the  barytone,  Paul  Julien,  the  violinist, 
and  Henry  Ahner,  the  cornetist  of  the  famous  Germania 
Orchestra,  which  had  disbanded  a  short  time  before. 
All  the  prima  donnas  were  patriotic  in  those  days,  or  at 
least  found  it  profitable  to  cater  to  the  popular  patri- 
otism, as  will  be  observed  in  more  than  one  instance  in 
these  pages.  So  at  this  concert  Parodi  sang  the  unsing- 
able  "Star-Spangled  Banner"  and  the  "Marseillaise," 
which  last  she  delivered  with  as  much  vigor  as  if  she 
were  shouting  it  on  a  barricade  to  the  mob  of  the  Paris 
streets.  In  1859  she  was  a  member  of  the  first  regular 
Italian  opera  company  which  appeared  in  Chicago.  I 
do  not  remember  her  after  that. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE    GERMANIA    SOCIETY 

THE  GERMANIA  SOCIETY  —  GUNGL's    OPINION    OF    AMERICANS  — 
CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  GERMANIA  —  ITS  VISIT  TO  CHICAGO 

—  A  CRITIC'S  SOUL-LONGINGS  —  THE  SOCIETY'S  LASTING 
INFLUENCE  UPON  MUSICAL  PROGRESS  —  THE  WORK  OF 
INDIVIDUAL  MEMBERS  —  THE   CAREER   OF   CARL   BERGMANN 

—  THE  SAD  END  OF  HIS  LIFE  —  JULIEN,  "THE  CHARLATAN 
OF    ALL   THE    AGES" —  HIS    EGOTISM    AND    ECCENTRICITIES 

—  THE  "FIREMEN'S  QUADRILLE,"  ETC. 

I  HEARD  the  Germania  Orchestra  play  in  Boston 
before  I  came  to  Chicago.  This  remarkable  band, 
officially  known  as  the  Germania  Society,  was  the 
real  pioneer  of  instrumental  music  in  the  United  States, 
and  deserves  to  occupy  first  place  in  the  history  of  early 
musical  progress  in  this  country  by  reason  of  the  high 
standard  which  it  maintained,  the  new  works  which  it 
introduced,  and  the  model  which  it  set  for  the  then  ex- 
isting orchestral  organizations.  There  were  orchestras 
at  that  time  in  New  York,  Boston,  and  a  few  other  places, 
and  there  had  been  some  European  bands  here  before 
the  Germania  Society  arrived,  the  best  of  which  was 
Gungl's  from  Berlin.  The  latter,  however,  did  such  an 
unprofitable  business  that  the  disgruntled  Gungl  went 
back  to  Berlin  and  made  a  savage  onslaught  upon  Amer- 
icans. He  declared  that  they  were  incapable  of  enjoying 
music  and  much  preferred  circus  riders,  rope  dancers, 


52  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

beast  tamers,  giants,  dwarfs,  and  such  like  freaks,  to  mu- 
sicians. Gungl  said  this  more  than  fifty  years  ago.  It 
is  curious  in  this  connection  to  note  that  Chaliapine,  the 
Russian  basso,  after  his  operatic  engagement  in  this 
country  in  1908,  said  he  pitied  Americans  because  they 
had  "  no  light,  no  song  in  their  lives,"  and  that  they 
are  "  children  in  everything  pertaining  to  art."  Be  this 
as  it  may,  it  does  not  affect  the  high  esteem  in  which  the 
Germania  Society  was  held  by  lovers  of  good  music. 

The  Society  came  to  this  country  in  1848,  and  gave 
concerts  for  five  or  six  years.  They  were  not  profit- 
able, and  it  disbanded  after  a  prolonged  effort  to  gain  a 
foothold.  Nearly  all  its  members  remained  here  and 
continued  their  labors  for  the  higher  music  individu- 
ally. It  was  a  comparatively  small  orchestra,  but  it  was 
composed  of  earnest,  honest,  cultivated  musicians,  who 
believed  in  their  art  and  presented  it  in  the  noblest 
form  of  exposition.  It  was  a  hard  road  they  travelled, 
but  they  never  lowered  their  standard  nor  degraded 
themselves  by  submitting  to  commercial  considerations. 
When  they  could  go  no  farther,  they  continued  their 
work  individually,  as  I  have  just  said,  and  several  of 
them  took  high  rank  as  musical  educators.  The  Society 
introduced  its  audiences  to  the  classic  symphonies.  It 
incited  local  orchestras  to  more  convincing  work  and 
paved  the  way  for  that  orchestral  development  and 
musical  progress  achieved  by  Carl  Bergmann  and  Theo- 
dore Thomas  a  few  years  later. 

The  first  conductor  of  the  Germania  Society  was  Lens- 
chow,  who  became  disheartened  and  resigned  in  1850. 
His  place  was  filled  by  Carl  Bergmann,  first  'cellist  in 


A  CRITIC'S  SOUL-LONGINGS  53 

the  Society.  Business  improved  under  his  manage- 
ment, but  notwithstanding  its  acknowledged  reputation, 
its  technical  ability,  and  its  extraordinary  solo  work, 
for  nearly  every  member  was  an  accomplished  solo 
performer,  it  disbanded  in  1854,  after  having  given 
concerts  in  nearly  every  part  of  the  country.  During 
its  travels  the  Society  visited  Chicago  in  1853,  with 
Camilla  Urso,  the  violinist,  then  a  mere  child,  and 
Alfred  Jaell,  the  pianist,  as  soloists,  and  upon  that  occa- 
sion Chicago  heard  a  symphony  for  the  first  time.  It 
was  Beethoven's  Second.  A  short  time  before  this 
the  Society  had  played  the  same  symphony  elsewhere, 
and  a  reporter  for  the  "  Chicago  Journal "  thus  naively 
expressed  his  musical  soul-longings : 

"  In  St.  Louis  and  Louisville  the  Germania  Orchestra  has 
played  a  whole  symphony  of  Beethoven  and  has  really  brought 
tears  to  the  eyes  of  musicians  and  amateurs.  How  we  should 
like  to  witness  a  performance  of  such  a  symphony !  Never, 
perhaps,  shall  we  have  an  occasion  during  our  lifetime  to  hear 
such  a  performance  ! " 

It  is  consoling  to  know  that  the  Second  Symphony 
was  not  his  Carcasonne.  His  pathetic  longing  for 
symphonic  joy  was  satisfied,  for  a  few  weeks  later  the 
Society  played  the  same  work  in  Chicago.  I  regret, 
however,  that  I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  record  of 
his  feelings  on  that  occasion.  Perhaps  he  was  too 
greatly  overcome  to  trust  them  to  cold  type.  But  I 
have  found  what  he  said  about  the  Society's  second 
concert,  and  much  to  my  astonishment  discover  that  he 
transferred  his  affections  to  the  sepulchral  "Zampa,"  for 
he  says : 


54  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

"  The  concert  was  magnificent  in  all  its  parts,  especially 
Zampa's  grand  overture.  The  audience  was  never  more 
enraptured.  Camilla  Urso,  a  child  of  twelve,  performed  some 
of  the  most  difficult  pieces  that  were  ever  composed  for  violin. 
The  whole  band  won  golden  opinions.  We  heard  some  of  the 
best  judges  of  music  remark  that  it  was  the  best  instrumental 
concert  ever  given  in  Chicago." 

This  is  not  very  searching  criticism,  but  it  clearly 
describes  the  reporter's  liking.  I  regret  that  he  was 
silent  about  the  effect  of  the  Second  upon  him,  but 
perhaps,  like  the  old  lady  in  the  Louvre,  he  had  seen  the 
Apollo  Belvidere  and  Haggles  and  preferred  Raggles. 

After  the  disbanding  of  the  Society,  Carl  Zerrahn, 
the  first  flute,  was  for  many  years  the  accomplished 
conductor  of  the  Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  Society. 
Carl  Bergmann  became  leader  of  the  New  York  Philhar- 
monic Society.  William  Schultze  was  for  many  years 
first  violin  in  the  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club  and 
afterwards  professor  of  music  at  Syracuse  University. 
Carl  Lentz  became  an  orchestra  leader  in  Philadelphia, 
and  Albrecht  and  Plagemann  were  leading  spirits  in 
the  organization.  Thiedemann  went  to  Baltimore,  where 
I  believe  he  is  still  living,  and  did  a  great  work  for 
music  in  that  city.  Henry  Ahner,  first  cornet,  went  to 
Chicago  and  organized  orchestral  concerts  of  a  high 
order. 

Of  all  these  men,  Carl  Bergmann  was  the  most 
prominent  and  best  known  as  a  musician.  His  instru- 
ment was  the  'cello,  but  he  understood  them  all.  He 
was  well  equipped  for  leadership  by  his  musical  scholar- 
ship as  well  as  by  his  executive  ability,  and  he  kept 


Carl  Bergmann 


THE  CAREER  OF  CARL  BERGMANN         55 

pace  with  musical  progress.  He  was  the  first  to  intro- 
duce Wagner  and  Liszt  in  this  country,  while  conduct- 
ing the  New  York  Philharmonic  concerts,  though  it 
was  Theodore  Thomas  who  developed  the  recognition 
of  these  composers  into  a  close  intimacy.  He  was  for 
a  considerable  time  also  a  member  of  the  Mason- 
Thomas  Quartette,  which  fought  the  early  battles  for 
chamber  music.  Bergmann  went  to  Chicago  in  the 
fifties  to  lead  its  Philharmonic  Society,  but  retired  in 
disgust  when  he  found  that  local  musicians  were  en- 
gaged in  a  cabal  against  him.  With  all  his  ability  and 
his  scholarship,  however,  Bergmann  was  not  an  industri- 
ous worker,  nor  was  he  regardful  of  his  duties.  If  his 
associates  took  the  initiative  in  such  periods  of  neglect, 
it  angered  him.  At  last  he  gave  himself  up  to  an  indo- 
lent, pleasure-loving  manner  of  life,  and  this  alienated 
many  of  his  musical  associates.  Near  the  end  of  his 
career  he  became  very  despondent.  Friends  abandoned 
him,  and  he  died  at  last  in  a  New  York  hospital  in 
1876,  almost  alone  and  forgotten.  But  he  was  a  great 
musician,  and  greatly  advanced  the  cause  of  music  in 
his  earlier  and  happier  days. 

It  was  not  long  after  hearing  the  Germania  Society 
that  I  went  to  a  Julien  concert.  There  never  was  but 
one  Julien;  there  never  will  be  another.  Theodore 
Thomas,  while  conceding  his  ability,  aptly  called  him 
"  the  charlatan  of  all  the  ages."  He  was  the  vainest  of 
men  in  his  dress,  adornments,  and  personal  demeanor. 
His  egotism  was  so  sublime  that  he  made  no  conceal- 
ment of  his  conviction  that  he  was  a  great  genius.  His 
gestures  and  gyrations  in  conducting  were  even  more 


56  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

absurdly  violent  and  eccentric  than  those  of  the  present 
acrobatic  Italian  conductors  in  the  summer  gardens. 
It  was  a  joyous  spectacle  to  see  him  sink  exhausted  into 
his  chair  at  the  close  of  one  of  his  grotesque  programme 
music  stunts,  with  his  rose-colored  gloved  hands  tightly 
clasped  and  wearing  an  expression  of  mingled  satisfac- 
tion and  superiority  that  exasperated  men  and  thrilled 
women.  He  produced  many  descriptive  pieces  of  his 
own,  with  huge  bands,  provided  with  more  accessories 
for  evoking  noise  than  Tschaikovsky  even  dreamed  of 
in  his  "  1812  "  overture,  and  with  more  singular  sounds 
than  Strauss  produces  in  his  "Don  Quixote"  symphonic 
poem.  The  one  I  particularly  remember  is  u  The  Fire- 
men's Quadrille."  It  was  performed  in  the  days  when 
Mose  asked  Sykesey  to  "take  the  butt"  while  he 
"  lammed  "  a  gentleman  of  the  rival  machine  who  was 
standing  on  the  hose,  but  neither  Mose  nor  Sykesey  en- 
countered a  conflagration  fiercer  in  its  progress  than 
"  The  Firemen's  Quadrille."  Julien  may  be  credited 
with  introducing  programme  music  of  the  melodramatic 
sort  in  this  country.  It  is  entirely  logical  that  he  should 
end  his  days  in  Bedlam. 


Louis  Antoine  Julien 


CHAPTER  VI 

SOME    VIOLINISTS 

OLE  BULL  —  HIS  PERSONALITY  —  MANNER  OF  PLATING  —  A 
DREAMER  —  UNSATISFIED  VISIONS  —  THE  ROMANCE  OF  HIS 
LIFE  —  HIS  NUMEROUS  FAREWELLS  —  CONCERTS  IN  CHICAGO 

—  REMENYI  —  HIS  FAR  WANDERING  —  EXTRAVAGANCES 
AND  MANNERISMS  —  A  MEMORABLE  AFTERNOON —  SUDDEN 
DEATH  —  VIEUXTEMPS  —  CHARACTERISTICS    OF    HIS    STYLE 

—  NILSSON'S  BIRTHDAY  AND  "THE   ARKANSAS  TRAVELLER" 

—  WIENIAWSKY  —  RELATIONS  TO  RUBINSTEIN  —  GAM- 
BLING   LOSSES  —  WILHELMJ  —  AN     INTELLECTUAL    PLAYER 

—  CAMILLA  URSO  AS  CHILD  AND  WOMAN  —  HER  LAST  DAYS 

I  BEGIN  my  recollections  of  the  famous  old  vio- 
linists with  Ole  Bull,  not  because  he  was  the 
greatest  of  them  —  far  from  it,  —  but  because  for 
several  curious  reasons  he  was  the  best  known  and  most 
popular.  One  of  these  reasons  is  purely  personal.  He 
was  tall,  strongly  built,  with  a  fine,  erect  figure,  kindly 
eyes,  and  light  hair  which  became  snowy  white  before  his 
long  career  was  ended.  He  was  a  typical  Norseman,  and 
looked,  while  playing,  as  Frithjof  might  have  looked 
when  he  sang  his  farewell  to  the  North  on  the  deck 
of  Ellida.  His  personality  was  so  magnetic  that  even 
musicians  overlooked  his  eccentricities  and  occasional 
trickeries  of  technic.  It  added  to  the  effect  of  this 
magnetic  influence  that  he  had  a  poetical  nature,  sym- 
pathetic disposition,  and  vivid  imagination  —  in  a  word, 
he  was  a  dreamer,  but  not  an  inspired  one. 


58  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

Though  greatly  lauded,  Ole  Bull  was  not  a  great 
musician  nor  a  great  artist.  He  was  rather  a  wander- 
ing Blondel,  who  played  most  fascinatingly.  It  was 
impossible  to  resist  the  magic  of  his  bow  even  when 
you  suspected  it  of  sleight-of-hand.  Who  could  believe 
that  his  closing  pianissimo  did  not  end  and  vanish  into 
the  air  long  before  his  bowing  ceased  ?  And  yet  who  did 
not  raptly  listen  and  wonder,  as  if  he  really  recognized 
the  ghost  of  the  last  tone  floating  off  ?  Perhaps  it  was 
a  ghost,  but  this  ghostly  practice  was  not  artistic.  With 
what  exaggeration  he  was  praised  one  or  two  instances 
will  show.  George  William  Curtis  wrote  that  his  play- 
ing was  "  smooth  as  the  summer  seas,  embosoming 
deep  chromatic  shadows  and  full  sunlight,  but  no  lesser 
things,"  and  Lydia  Maria  Child  called  him  "  a  Persian 
nightingale."  It  may  be  objected  that  these  two  were 
not  musicians,  only  rhapsodists.  But  old  John  S.  D wight 
surely  was  musical  to  his  finger  tips,  and  he  said  that  his 
playing  was  "  between  a  canary's  and  a  thrush's  singing." 
It  is  a  long  distance  from  a  canary's  shrilling  to  a  thrush's 
luscious  melody,  so  that  Dwight's  comparison  is  some- 
what misty ;  but  it  shows  that  Ole  Bull  bowled  him  over 
like  all  the  rest. 

Ole  Bull  was  capricious,  but  he  was  so  strong  in  in- 
dividuality, so  fervid  of  nature,  so  graceful  and  yet  so 
vigorous  in  his  work,  and  so  hypnotic  in  his  appeal,  that 
he  had  little  difficulty  in  carrying  away  any  audience 
captive.  Sometimes  there  were  individual  exceptions. 
A  certain  critic  in  the  early  fifties  wrote :  "  Mr.  Woodruff 
performed  on  the  violin  scientifically  and  gave  some  most 
exquisite  touches  that  would  gore  Ole  Bull.    By  the  bye, 


OLE   BULL'S  MANNER  OF  PLAYING  59 

Mr.  Bull  does  not  seem  disposed  to  come  this  way  again. 
Perhaps  he  has  heard  of  Woodruff."  At  one  of  his  con- 
certs in  Peoria  an  old  farmer  came  to  the  door  of  the 
hall  and  asked  Maretzek  when  all  that  confounded  fid- 
dling would  stop.  Maretzek  asked  the  man  if  he  did 
not  like  music.  "  Yes,"  said  the  farmer,  "but  I  didn't 
come  to  town  for  that.  I  want  to  see  the  old  bull  and 
go  home." 

Ole  Bull  belonged  to  no  school.  Perhaps  that  was 
another  secret  of  his  success,  for  people  neither  know 
nor  care  about  schools,  but  like  a  player  to  be  himself. 
Ole  Bull  certainly  was  all  that.  He  imitated  certain 
of  Paganini's  eccentricities  by  attempting  effects  of  a 
bizarre  sort,  but  yet  he  was  always  Ole  Bull.  He  re- 
minded you  of  no  one  else,  and  he  always  played  Ole 
Bull  in  all  his  versatile  moods.  To  this  extent  he  was 
the  most  eccentric  of  modern  virtuosi,  with  Remenyi  a 
close  second.  Who  but  these  two  would  have  climbed 
to  the  top  of  Cheops'  Pyramid  and  played  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  Sphinx  ?  He  rarely  attempted  the  classical, 
probably  because  it  is  so  unyielding  in  construction  that 
it  does  not  admit  of  moods  or  humors,  so  his  repertory 
was  comparatively  small.  He  resembled  Paganini  in  an- 
other respect :  he  was  an  ordinary  composer.  He  wrote 
two  pieces  in  this  country,  "  Niagara  "  and  "  Solitude  of 
the  Prairie,"  but  they  were  ephemeral.  He  was  more 
at  home  in  variations  and  Norwegian  fantasies  like  his 
own  "  El  Saterbesok,"  some  measures  of  which  he  wrote 
out  in  his  sprawling  notation  and  gave  to  me  with  the 
remark  that  it  was  one  of  his  favorites.  And  when 
the  kindly  faced  old  man,  lovingly  bending  over  his 


60  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

violin  with  his  eyes  closed,  played  these  fantasies,  I 
used  to  think  he  was  at  his  best.  Perhaps  they  called 
up  visions  of  the  land  he  loved  very  dearly  and  for 
which  he  made  many  sacrifices.  He  was,  as  I  have  said, 
a  dreamer ;  but,  alas  !  few  of  his  dreams  came  true.  He 
dreamed  in  1855  of  being  an  impresario,  leased  the  New 
York  Academy  of  Music,  and  five  or  six  performances 
under  his  management  ended  this  dream.  Then  he 
dreamed  of  a  great  school  of  music  with  opera  for  its 
basis,  but  it  came  to  naught.  In  1876  he  had  a  dream 
of  giving  Italian,  German,  and  English  opera.  All  the 
great  artists  were  to  be  engaged,  and  Verdi  was  to  write 
an  opera  for  him ;  but  the  dream  was  only  an  iridescent 
bubble  —  nothing  more.  Then  he  dreamed  of  estab- 
lishing a  Norwegian  colony  in  Pennsylvania  for  the 
benefit  of  his  countrymen,  but  he  fell  into  the  hands  of 
swindlers  and  lost  heavily.  He  dreamed  of  a  national 
theatre  in  Norway,  but  whenever  was  a  national  theatre 
successful  without  a  government  back  of  it  ?  It  is  not 
remarkable  that  he  was  a  dreamer,  for  his  life  was 
tinged  with  romance  from  his  childhood,  when  he  de- 
voured fairy  tales  and  the  sagas  of  the  Northland.  He 
travelled  far  and  wide,  and  everywhere  popular  love 
and  popular  enthusiasm  followed  him.  He  was  almost 
as  much  of  a  nomad  as  Remenyi.  Perhaps  it  was  his 
Wanderlust  that  made  him  uncertain  about  returning 
to  a  place  when  he  left  it.  and  was  the  cause  of  so 
many  Concerts  des  Adieux.  He  began  farewelling  at  an 
early  period  of  his  career,  and  kept  it  up  to  the  last. 
My  records  show  that  his  first  appearance  in  Chicago 
with  Adelina  Patti,  April  21,  1853,  was  announced  as 


c 

r 

H 

ba 


o 
o 


c 


HIS  NUMEROUS  FAREWELLS  61 

a  "Farewell  to  America,"  and  yet  he  said  that  lonely 
word  three  times  more,  on  April  26,  May  2,  and  Decem- 
ber 14  of  that  same  year.  (I  wonder  if  any  one  remem- 
bers that  at  the  concert  of  April  26  coupon  tickets 
were  used  and  ushers  employed  for  the  first  time  at  a 
concert  in  Chicago.)  Why,  you  could  n't  drive  Ole  Bull 
away !  He  loved  Chicago,  and  Chicago  loved  him.  On 
June  29,  1857,  he  gave  "  one  farewell  concert "  with 
Harrison  George,  an  English  ballad  singer,  Horncastle, 
most  delightful  of  buffo  bassos,  and  Dressier,  pianist, 
and  on  the  next  evening  gave  a  second  concert,  which 
was  "  a  positive  farewell."  In  1868  we  had  another 
parting,  when  he  came  with  Madame  Varian  Hoffmann 
and  Edward  Hoffmann,  pianist.  In  April  of  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  came  to  us  with  the  gloomy  tidings  that 
he  must  say  a  last  loving  good-bye,  as  he  was  going  to 
Norway,  never,  never  to  come  back,  and  we  sorrowfully 
parted,  never  expecting  to  meet  again  ;  but  lo  !  in  1872 
the  big  fire  had  hardly  cooled  before  he  was  here  again 
with  Gertrude  Orme,  soprano,  Candidus,  the  big  sweet- 
voiced  German  tenor,  and  Alfred  Richter,  the  pianist, 
as  chief  mourners.  Then  there  was  another  farewell 
in  1877,  when  he  came  with  Isidora  Martinez,  the 
pretty  little  Spanish  soprano,  Tom  Karl,  the  tenor,  and 
Emma  Thursby,  expressly  to  say  farewell.  In  1880  he 
was  here  on  the  same  errand  with  Alfred  Pease,  the 
Beau  Brummel  of  the  keyboard,  Brausen,  tenor,  and 
Ferranti.  Does  any  one  remember  Ferranti's  inimitable 
singing  of  "  Bevare,  bevare,  she  is  a-fooling  thee  "  ? 
Ole  Bull  appeared  here  as  regularly  after  a  farewell  as 
"  the  flowers  that  bloom  in  the  Spring,  tra  la  "  !     But 


62  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

there  must  be  a  last  time,  and  it  was  in  1880,  for  shortly 
after  he  left  us  the  delightful,  kindly  old  man  died. 

The  name  of  Remenyi  next  suggests  itself  to  my 
memory,  for  this  Hungarian  in  some  ways  resembled 
Ole  Bull.  He  was  even  more  nomadic.  His  home  was 
everywhere,  and  he  was  everywhere  at  home.  He  was 
a  Romany  roamer  by  instinct.  He  wandered  farther 
afield  than  Ulysses  and  his  "disastrous  chances,"  and 
"  moving  accidents  by  flood  and  field "  were  as  nu- 
merous as  those  which  Othello  related  to  Ophelia's 
father.  He  played  in  European  cities,  on  the  Pyramids, 
in  the  South  Sea  Isles,  in  the  African  diamond  fields 
and  among  Transvaal  kopjes,  in  New  England  school- 
houses,  Southern  plantations,  and  Western  mining 
camps,  amid  the  pomps  of  courts,  the  conventionalities 
of  concert-rooms,  and  the  flippancies  of  vaudeville  the- 
atres. Though  a  Hebrew  by  nationality,  he  had  all  the 
gipsy  traits,  and  it  was  the  czardas  which  were  his  chief 
delight  and  highest  inspiration.  He  looked  as  unlike 
a  professional  musician  as  it  is  possible  to  imagine. 
He  was  short,  corpulent,  heavy-featured,  and  somewhat 
shambling  of  gait.  A  stranger  might  have  mistaken 
him  for  a  bon  vivant,  or  a  justice  "  with  good  capon 
lined,"  but  his  looks  belied  him,  for  he  was  at  no  time 
in  his  life  "  a  very  valiant  trencher  man."  On  the  con- 
trary, he  was  a  most  austere  ascetic  at  table.  A  friend 
of  mine  in  Chicago,  wishing  to  entertain  him,  once  gave 
him  a  dinner  of  several  courses.  He  declined  the 
oysters,  soup,  and  fish,  and  seemingly  appalled  by  the 
entrees,  called  for  crackers,  milk,  and  water.     During 


REMENYI'S  MANNERISMS  63 

my  acquaintance  with  him  he  neither  smoked,  nor  drank 
even  light  wine. 

Remenyi  had  certain  little  tricks  of  technic  like 
Ole  Bull,  and  what  seemed  to  be  affectations,  such  as 
swinging  his  bow  around  his  head  like  a  scimitar  and 
smiting  the  strings,  but  I  do  not  think  he  meant  it  as 
an  affectation.  He  had  the  same  magnetic  effect  upon 
audiences  as  Ole  Bull,  but  not  produced  by  his  person- 
ality, for  he  had  not  the  impressive  physique  of  the  Nor- 
wegian. When  in  the  mood,  he  could  play  to  musicians 
so  that  they  sat  up  and  listened.  He  could  always 
play  to  the  people  and  set  them  wild  with  enthusiasm. 
He  performed  the  czardas  with  the  true  gipsy  feeling, 
and  the  "  Rakoczy  March  "  so  that  you  understood  why 
its  fiery  rhythm  roused  the  Magyars  to  revolution.  It 
seems  to  me,  however,  that  he  played  best  when  free 
from  the  restrictions  of  the  concert-room  and  the  dis- 
tractions of  an  audience  —  in  musical  negligee,  so  to 
speak.  I  spent  a  Sunday  afternoon  once  with  him 
at  the  house  of  a  mutual  friend.  Vogrich,  his  protege, 
a  young  musician  of  extraordinary  talent,  who  has 
since  become  a  lost  Pleiad,  was  at  the  piano  and  played 
his  accompaniments.  It  was  a  hot  day,  and  Remenyi 
soon  shed  his  coat.  I  can  see  him  now,  pacing  the 
room  and  playing  piece  after  piece,  softly  talking  to 
himself,  and  now  and  then  calling  attention,  with 
pardonable  vanity,  to  the  manner  in  which  he  played 
a  phrase  or  produced  an  effect,  his  face  wreathed  with 
smiles,  for  he  was  the  soul  of  good  nature.  I  do  not 
think  he  was  really  vain.  He  simply  had  an  abiding, 
unshaken   faith   in    Remenyi.     The   signature   to    the 


64  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

letters  he  wrote  to  me  usually  occupied  the  larger 
part  of  the  page,  and  curious  polyglots  they  were, 
sometimes  made  up  of  half  a  dozen  languages !  He 
never  spoke  in  an  uncertain  tone  about  his  playing. 
After  performing  a  Hongroise  at  a  friend's  house,  he 
walked  to  the  mantel,  stopped  the  pendulum  of  the 
clock,  and  solemnly  said  :  "  Let  this  clock  forever  mark 
the  hour  when  Remenyi  played  to  you."  His  egotism 
was  colossal,  but  it  was  the  harmless  egotism  of  a  child. 
To  return  to  the  extempore  concert.  It  lasted  until 
dinner.  He  was  in  the  playing  mood,  as  well  as 
Vogrich,  and  neither  thought  much  about  time.  Their 
programme  reached  from  the  Bach  "  Chaconne  "  to  Hun- 
garian folk  songs.  Remenyi' s  memory  was  prodigious. 
At  the  close  of  one  piece  Theodore  Thomas,  who  was 
present,  asked  him  to  play  a  certain  concerto.  Re- 
menyi replied  that  he  had  not  played  it  for  many 
years,  but  he  would  do  his  best.  My  friend  brought 
the  score  to  Vogrich,  and  Remenyi  played  the  violin 
part,  still  pacing  the  floor,  without  missing  a  note.  Like 
Ole  Bull,  again,  he  had  no  school.  He  was  uninfluenced 
by  precedents  and  careless  of  traditions.  He  played 
Remenyi.  His  tone  was  bright  and  appealing,  his 
mastery  of  technic  absolute.  He  once  told  me  that 
he  always  played  for  one  person  in  an  audience.  His 
words  were :  "  There  is  sure  to  be  in  every  audience 
at  least  one  heart  to  which  I  may  talk.  That  is 
enough.  I  fix  my  eyes  upon  him ;  we  understand  each 
other."  He  was  not  an  intellectual  player,  like  Cesar 
Thompson  or  Wilhelmj,  for  instance,  but  an  emotional, 
impulsive,  temperamental  player,  governed  by  vagrant 


HIS  SUDDEN  DEATH  65 

fancies  and  the  moods  of  the  moment.  He  had  ex- 
travagances and  mannerisms,  for  he  was  a  creature  of 
caprice  and  impulse.  He  was  always  a  child,  and  he 
kept  the  freshness,  buoyancy,  and  optimism  of  childhood 
to  the  very  last.  And  how  mournful  his  end !  He 
died  in  San  Francisco  in  1898,  from  the  effects  of  an 
apoplectic  stroke  while  playing  in  a  concert.  But  he 
died  as  he  had  wished.  In  a  letter  to  a  friend  some 
months  before  his  death  he  wrote :  "  I  know  and  I 
feel  that  I  shall  die  in  harness.  Yes,  my  dear  boy,  I 
shall  die  fiddling."  He  was  a  worshipper  of  beauty, 
a  musical  poet  whose  fancies  were  informed  by  the 
Oriental  spirit.  In  his  quaint  way  he  once  said :  "  All 
beauty  is  a  spree  to  me.  It  is  so  I  live  my  life.  It 
is  thus  I  keep  life  happy  when  I  am  getting  old  my- 
self, for  life  could  get  very,  very  dreary  if  one  did  not 
search  out  the  sprees."  Possibly  if  he  had  studied 
severely  and  grounded  himself  in  the  classics,  he  might 
have  been  a  greater  artist,  but  he  would  not  have  been 
Remenyi.  His  favorite  maxim  was,  "  Die  echte  Verk- 
larung  in  dem  Kunst  ist  das  ewig  natiirliche"  ("The 
true  ideal  in  art  is  eternally  the  natural").  Certainly 
Remenyi  lived  up  to  that  ideal.  In  one  of  his  letters 
to  me,  received  not  long  before  his  death,  he  writes: 
"  I  have  been  playing  now  many  years.  But  my  arm 
is  still  strong,  and  so  I  will  keep  on.  And  I  will  play 
after  I  have  gone,  ten  million  years,  for  the  cherubim 
and  seraphim,  nichi  wahr?" 

Going  back  again  several  years,  I  come  to  Henri 
Vieuxtemps,  one  of  the  great  violinists  of  his  time.    He 


66  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

lived  in  a  violin  atmosphere,  for  he  began  playing  al- 
most as  soon  as  his  tiny  hands  could  hold  a  bow.  He 
was  on  the  concert-stage  at  six  and  touring  at  seven. 
He  came  from  Belgium,  which  has  produced  so  many 
excellent  string  players,  to  this  country  in  1846 ;  but  I 
first  heard  him  in  1857,  and  again  in  1870.  In  1857  he 
played  in  Chicago  with  Thalberg,  —  a  rare  combination, 
for  Thalberg  was  considered  the  leading  pianist  of  that 
period ;  but  a  mysterious  misadventure,  of  which  I  shall 
speak  when  I  come  to  the  pianists,  suddenly  cut  short 
the  Western  tour.  Some  rather  crude  Wild  West  criti- 
cisms, with  pointed  suggestions  for  more  tunes  and  less 
flourishing,  probably  helped  to  make  it  easy  for  him  to 
have  the  tour  come  to  any  sort  of  a  close.  One  of  these 
critics  went  so  far  as  to  say  that  Vieuxtemps  was  a  good 
enough  fiddler  considering  his  opportunities,  but  he 
would  n't  go  to  hear  him  again  unless  they  reduced  the 
price  of  tickets  to  sixty-two  and  a  half  cents  a  dozen. 
During  the  season  of  1870  Vieuxtemps  returned  to 
Chicago  with  Christine  Nilsson,  and  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  him  personally  and  very  informally.  The 
occasion  was  a  birthday  dinner  which  Nilsson  gave  to 
some  friends,  and  I  shall  refer  to  it  more  in  detail  when 
I  come  to  speak  of  that  Swedish  fascinator.  Vieuxtemps 
was  there,  and  the  function  lasted  far  into  the  small 
hours.  Several  of  the  artists  present  did  extraordinary 
stunts,  and  conventionalities  were  thrown  to  the  winds. 
It  was  a  ludicrous  spectacle,  that  of  Vieuxtemps  un- 
bending far  enough  to  play  "  The  Arkansas  Traveller," 
following  it  up  with  "  Money  Musk,"  in  the  most  rol- 
licking manner.     His  violin  bubbled  over  with  fun  as 


VIEUXTEMPS  67 

the  player  stood  leaning  against  the  piano  upon  which 
Brignoli  was  improvising  a  genuine  vaudeville  accom- 
paniment, the  great  Belgian  looking  as  solemn  and 
lugubrious  as  if  he  were  concertmeister  for  "  Siegfried's 
Tod."  At  the  close  of  "  The  Arkansas  Traveller  "  there 
was  wild  applause,  but  he  only  looked  up  with  a  kind  of 
sickly  and  far-away  expression,  as  if  he  were  inwardly 
saying  his  Peccavi  to  Frau  Musica  for  the  affront  he  had 
put  upon  her.  He  was  plain  of  appearance  and  seldom 
smiled,  so  that  his  seriousness  still  further  accentuated 
the  ludicrous  performance.  He  was  a  very  quiet  man  in 
those  days,  but  in  his  early  life  he  had  been  quite  gay,  and 
fond  of  adventure  and  a  good  time.  He  also  had  a  tem- 
per of  his  own,  but  age  had  sobered  him  down.  Upon  this 
Bohemian  occasion  he  was  the  personification  of  dignity. 
Vieuxtemps  was  in  most  respects  the  best  trained  and 
most  cultivated  violinist  of  his  day,  and  played  with  an 
elegance  of  style,  a  richness  of  tone,  and  a  perfection  of 
technic  which  have  rarely  been  excelled  even  in  these 
days,  when  the  woods  are  full  of  good  violinists.  He  died 
three  years  after  I  met  him,  a  wretched  sufferer  from 
paralysis  of  the  arm  which  had  been  so  industrious, 
ophthalmia,  pneumonia,  and  finally  congestion  of  the 
brain,  caused  by  an  accident.  If  he  had  accomplished 
nothing  else,  all  violinists  would  have  respected  his 
memory,  for  he  left  them  a  concerto  which  even  yet  has 
not  been  outlawed,  but  holds  its  place  still  in  the  violin 
repertory. 

Wieniawsky,   the    Slavic   violinist,  whom    Theodore 
Thomas  called  "  one  of  the  greatest  violinists  of  the  ages," 


68  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

was  remotely  connected  with  Vieuxtemps,  for  he  left  his 
American  tour  before  it  was  finished  to  take  the  place 
of  violin  teacher  in  the  Brussels  Conservatory,  made 
vacant  by  Vieuxtemps's  illness.  He  first  came  to  this 
country  in  the  season  of  1872-1873  with  Rubinstein, 
under  Maurice  Grau's  management,  and  after  giving  sev- 
eral concerts  a  combination  was  effected  with  the  Thomas 
Orchestra,  and  they  gave  memorable  concerts.  They  set 
the  standard  for  piano,  violin,  and  orchestra  playing. 
Wieniawsky  had  been  solo  violinist  for  the  Emperor  of 
Russia  for  twelve  years  before  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  which  suggests  that  Czars  have  some  compen- 
satory enjoyments  even  if  they  are  targets  for  bomb- 
throwers.  He  was  a  master  of  his  instrument,  and 
played  not  only  in  artistic  style,  but  with  a  fervor  and 
at  times  a  boldness  and  dash  that  thrilled  you.  It  was 
a  delight  to  hear  him  play  his  own  "  Legende "  and 
"  Polonaise,"  and  a  still  greater  one  to  listen  to  his 
passionate  performance  with  Rubinstein  of  Beethoven's 
Kreutzer  Sonata.  The  two  players  were  admirably 
mated,  both  trained  musicians,  skilled  interpreters,  and 
players  for  whom  difficulties  did  not  exist,  and  both 
infused  with  a  divine  fury  at  times.  Will  any  one  who 
heard  that  performance  of  the  great  sonata  ever  forget 
it  ?  I  met  Camilla  Urso  one  evening  not  long  before 
she  died.  The  Thomas  Orchestra  a  few  nights  before 
had  played  Mr.  Thomas's  arrangement  of  the  Kreutzer 
Andante  and  variations  for  strings.  We  were  speaking 
of  it,  and  I  remarked  that  I  had  not  heard  it  before  since 
Rubinstein  and  Wieniawsky  played  it.  "  But,"  said  the 
little  solemn-faced  lady,  looking  at  me  out  of  those  big 


August  Wilhelmj 


WIENIAWSKY'S  RELATIONS  TO  RUBINSTEIN  69 

expressive  eyes  with  an  inquiring  glance,  "  you  did  not 
want  to  hear  it  again,  did  you  ?  "  That  expressed  its 
effect  in  a  word. 

It  was  not  long  after  I  saw  Wieniawsky  that  he  died. 
He  had  a  bad  temper,  and  Rubinstein  had  a  worse  one, 
and  the  old  friendly  relations  were  soon  severed.  They 
never  spoke  to  each  other  again.  His  health  broke  down, 
and  he  lost  nearly  all  his  earnings  at  the  gaming-table 
and  in  speculations,  for  gambling  was  one  of  his  passions. 
I  have  often  wondered  why  it  is  that  the  violins  gamble 
so  frequently.  I  cannot  recall  violas,  'cellos,  or  double- 
basses  doing  it.  I  am  quite  certain  the  trombone  never 
loses  money  by  chance,  and  that  the  bassoon,  clarinet, 
and  trumpet  never  take  risks  in  any  kind  of  game.  But 
I  know  of  several  violinists  who  every  now  and  then 
have  "  gone  broke."  Is  it  because  the  violins  alone  of 
the  orchestral  family  have  all  the  wild,  wayward,  pas- 
sionate work  to  do,  and  the  other  instruments  have  more 
staid,  dignified,  and  conservative  duties  to  perform  ? 

Tidings  of  the  death  of  August  Wilhelmj,  Wagner's 
concertmeister  at  the  first  Bayreuth  performance  of  the 
"Nibelungen  Trilogy,"  comes  as  I  am  writing  this 
chapter.  In  some  respects  he  was  the  most  impressive 
of  all  the  violinists  I  have  heard.  He  made  his  Chicago 
debut  in  a  concert  with  Carreno,  Kate  James,  and  Taglia- 
pietra  in  1878,  but  I  best  remember  him  in  a  Turner 
Hall  Sunday  afternoon  concert,  amid  a  cheery  Gemilth- 
lichkeit,  which  soon  developed  into  a  wild  display  of  En- 
thusiasmus.  He  was  a  man  of  dignified  presence,  fine 
figure,  and  commanding  aspect,  with  a  face  that  reminded 


70  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

me  a  little  of  Rubinstein.  He  had  absolute  command 
of  the  resources  of  his  instrument.  I  have  heard  no 
other  violinist  with  such  breadth,  nobility,  and  distinc- 
tion in  his  work.  His  tone  was  not  only  pure  and  beau- 
tiful, but  it  was  big  and  noble,  a  sonorous  clang,  indeed, 
of  most  majestic  sort,  which  was  well  adapted  to  the 
higher  music.  He  seemed  to  evoke  the  noblest  qualities 
of  his  instrument,  and  his  repertory  was  largely  composed 
of  the  works  of  the  masters.  His  technic  was  devoid  of 
tricks  of  any  sort.  With  all  his  qualities  so  honest, 
legitimate,  and  noble,  and  with  all  his  broad  musical 
culture,  he  had  not  the  popularity  of  some  of  the  other 
players  I  have  mentioned.  I  do  not  think,  indeed,  that 
he  would  have  valued  it  if  he  had  had  to  secure  it  by 
the  same  means,  for  he  was  first  musician  and  then 
violinist,  and  his  playing  above  all  was  intellectual,  and 
marked  by  classic  repose,  noble  dignity,  and  most  sono- 
rous volume.  And  what  Wilhelmj  was  as  virtuoso  he 
was  as  man,  —  a  man  of  solid  attainments,  sterling 
character,  scholarly  and  literary  culture,  and  one  of  the 
most  delightful  of  talkers. 

And  now  there  comes  into  my  memory  a  little  maiden, 
hardly  in  her  teens,  playing  the  violin  with  all  the  ease, 
facility,  and  self-possession  of  a  mature  artist.  She 
was  a  most  serious  child,  with  large  dark  eyes  and  with  a 
manner  and  dignity  that  seemed  strange  in  one  so  young. 
I  do  not  think  she  was  ever  childish.  Her  face  was  so 
solemn  and  unchanging  in  its  expression  that  it  seemed 
as  if  a  smile  had  never  visited  it.  She  began  playing 
the  violin  in  her  sixth  year.     I  think  when  I  first  met 


CAMILLA  URSO  AS  CHILD  AND  WOMAN  71 

and  heard  her  she  was  about  fourteen,  and  she  then  ap- 
peared on  the  stage  as  if  born  to  it.  Even  as  a  child 
Camilla  Urso  was  an  extraordinary  player,  with  a  re- 
markable technic  as  well  as  purity  of  tone.  I  next  heard 
her  in  1866,  when  she  played  in  a  Philharmonic  Concert 
in  Chicago,  and  again  in  1867,  when  she  appeared  with 
the  old  Boston  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club,  then  in  all 
its  glory.*  She  was  then  in  her  twenty-fourth  year,  but 
still  had  that  same  pale,  serious,  inscrutable  face,  the 
same  dark,  lustrous,  melancholy  eyes,  and  the  same  calm 
but  gracious  dignity  of  manner ;  but  with  the  advancing 
years  she  had  gained  a  more  finished  style,  greater  indi- 
viduality, and  exquisitely  graceful  motions  of  the  arm  in 
bowing.  Camilla  Urso  was  a  true,  honest  artist.  She  had 
no  affectations,  no  trickeries.  Everything  she  did  was 
legitimate.  She  had  travelled  far  and  wide.  Few  if 
any  women  violinists  have  travelled  as  far,  and  every- 
where she  made  a  success  of  enthusiasm  and  was  rec- 
ognized as  an  artist  of  distinction.  But  suddenly  she 
dropped  out  of  the  musical  world  as  a  performer.  Why 
she  did  it  I  think  no  one  knows ;  but  possibly  she  may 
have  felt  that  she  had  reached  the  limit  of  her  ability,  or 
her  physical  strength  had  begun  to  wane.  When  I  re- 
call that  little  serious  maiden  who  visited  me  one  day  so 
many  years  ago,  the  young  woman  who  travelled  so  far 
and  played  with  great  orchestras  and  with  great  artists 
and  made  her  name  known  and  honored,  not  by  press 
agents  and  advertising,  but   by  her   own   merits,  the 

*  The  original  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club  was  composed  of  William 
Schultze,  first  violin ;  Carl  Meisel,  second  violin ;  Thomas  Ryan,  clarinet 
and  viola;  Edward  Heindl,  flute;  and  Wulf  Fries,  cello. 


72  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

woman  who  suddenly  dropped  out  of  her  profession, 
and  in  the  closing  year  of  her  life  sought  to  make 
a  living  by  hard  teaching  and  died  almost  forgotten, 
I  sometimes  wonder  what  that  mask  of  seriousness  hid 
behind  it. 


CHAPTER  VII 
SOME    PIANISTS 

THALBERG  AS  MAN  AND  ARTIST  —  HIS  SUDDEN  DISAPPEARANCE 
—  GOTTSCHALK  —  HIS  MUSIC  AND  STYLE  —  AN  AFTERNOON 
WITH  HIM  —  RUBINSTEIN  AND  THE  AMERICAN  TOUR  — 
VON  BULOW  AND  HIS  PECULIARITIES  —  JAELL  AND  THE 
DRUM  —  A  PROCESSION  OF  PIANISTS  —  WEHLI,  THE  LEFT- 
HANDER, AND  THE  GREASED  PIANO  —  "  BLIND  TOM  "  AND 
HIS    FEATS  —  CARRENO 

THALBERG  came  to  Chicago  in  the  mid  fifties. 
The  city  at  that  time  was  hardly  graduated  from 
its  five-finger  exercises,  but  it  was  greatly  excited 
over  the  advent  of  a  real  pianist  and  put  on  its  best  clothes 
to  go  to  the  Thalberg-Vieuxtemps-D'Angri  concerts,  for 
it  had  heard  that  Thalberg  was  one  of  the  world's  great- 
est players  and  it  wished  to  do  him  honor.  It  was  not 
sure  it  would  intelligently  appreciate  him,  but  it  would 
at  least  pretend  to  do  so.  Then,  again,  few  great  artists 
had  visited  Chicago  up  to  that  time.  True,  Ole  Bull 
had  been  here,  but  he  came  quite  informally,  like  one 
just  dropping  in  for  dinner;  but  here  was  a  distin- 
guished guest,  son  of  a  prince  and  a  baroness,  a 
grand  virtuoso,  an  elegant  man  of  the  world,  a  fa- 
vorite of  courts,  and  all  that,  and  he  must  be  received 
politely.  So  Chicago  turned  out  in  full  force  and 
finery,  and  Thalberg  played  to  "  large  and  fashionable 
audiences." 


74  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

The  triple  combination  came  to  Chicago  in  1856. 
Madame  D'Angri,  contralto,  was  a  handsome,  stately 
woman,  with  wicked  eyes  and  a  fine  voice.  A  contem- 
porary criticism  in  one  of  the  city  papers  will  show  how 
Chicago  rose  to  the  occasion :  "  Thalberg's  melodies 
are  of  a  simple  character,  like  the  ripple  of  the  waves 
on  the  beach  of  a  summer  evening  when  the  moon- 
beams sleep  on  a  placid  sea.  To  our  mind  this  is  a 
mark  of  the  highest  genius.  The  profoundest  philoso- 
phers always  find  its  illustration  in  the  commonest 
objects;  witness  Plato  and  Him  who  spake  as  never 
man  spake.  The  concert  last  night  was  a  triumph." 
The  citation  is  interesting  as  showing  the  ndivett  and 
terseness  of  criticism  in  the  early  days,  but  the  reader 
must  remember  that  the  city  was  very  young  in  the 
early  fifties,  that  one  could  shoot  wild  pigeons  on  the 
North  Shore,  that  coyotes  used  to  sneak  about  on 
the  West  Side,  and  that  beyond  Twelfth  Street  on  the 
South  Side  stretched  the  lonesome  prairie. 

Thalberg  came  again  the  next  season  with  Parodi, 
Amalia  Patti,  Nicolo,  and  Mollenhauer,  and  Chicago 
again  made  its  handsomest  courtesy.  The  series  of 
concerts,  however,  was  left  unfinished,  for  Thalberg 
suddenly  dropped  out  of  sight.  One  morning  the 
papers  contained  the  announcement  that  "  owing  to 
circumstances  rendering  Mr.  Thalberg's  immediate  re- 
turn necessary,  the  concerts  advertised  in  the  West  will 
be  indefinitely  postponed,  with  the  exception  of  the  one 
advertised  for  Chicago,  this  evening,  at  Light  Guard 
Hall."  What  were  the  circumstances?  There  was  at 
once  a  flight  of  rumors.     His  agent  said  he  was  ill. 


SlGISMUND    THALBERG 


THALBERG'S  SUDDEN    DISAPPEARANCE  75 

No  one  believed  him.  It  was  reported  that  he  had  had  a 
falling  out  with  D'Angri.  But  most  startling  of  all  was 
the  rumor  that  Madame  Thalberg  had  arrived  in  New 
York  and  was  anxious  to  see  him.  The  manager  gave 
me  some  information,  but  it  was  purely  confidential. 
As  long  experience  with  managers  has  made  me  distrust 
their  stories,  confidential  ones  in  particular,  it  is  not 
worth  relating,  though  the  confidence  was  outlawed 
long  ago.     Besides,  I  doubt  not  it  was  idle  gossip. 

Notwithstanding  his  aristocratic  antecedents,  Thal- 
berg was  not  a  distinguished  looking  man,  nor  had  he 
any  of  those  personal  affectations  cultivated  by  mu- 
sicians who  wish  to  be  known  as  such.  His  playing 
was  almost  entirely  confined  to  his  own  operatic  fan- 
tasies, like  the  "  Moise  "  and  "  Lucia,"  and  as  he  was 
absolutely  at  home  at  the  piano,  this  of  course  made 
largely  for  the  success  of  his  playing.  These  fantasies 
were  something  new  in  the  world.  The  melody  of  the 
aria  stood  out  very  clearly  in  the  midst  of  a  most 
dazzling  display  of  scales,  arpeggios,  shakes,  and  corus- 
cations of  every  sort,  and  the  whole  keyboard  was  none 
too  big  for  the  exhibition  of  his  elegant  and  absolutely 
perfect  technic.  But  there  was  no  more  soul  in  it  than 
there  is  in  the  head  of  a  kettledrum.  It  was  simply 
marvellous  mechanism.  Our  sentimental  critic  was 
clear  off  the  track  with  his  "  rippling  waves "  and 
"sleeping  moonbeams."  It  was  rather  a  pyrotechnic 
display,  with  the  rockets  left  out,  for  Thalberg  never 
soared.  The  real  attraction  of  his  work  was  its  ele- 
gance and  its  clearness,  even  in  the  most  intricate  mazes 
with  which  he  enclosed  a  melody.     He  had  a  host  of 


76  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

imitators,  and  the  Thalberg  fantasies  were  all  the  rage 
for  a  time.  Every  little  piano  thumper  tackled  them. 
But  Thalberg,  his  school  of  virtuosity,  and  his  fantasies 
are  now  only  memories.  The  fantasies  to-day  are  as 
empty  as  last  year's  birds'  nests. 

Two  or  three  years  later  came  Louis  Moreau  Gotts- 
chalk.  He  was  the  rage  for  a  time.  He  was  a  charmer 
at  the  piano  and  fascinating  as  a  fellow-being.  I  think 
he  made  his  first  appearance  in  Chicago  in  December, 
1860,  with  Carlotta  Patti,  and  what  a  handsome  couple 
they  were !  I  am  not  certain  as  to  the  exact  date,  but 
I  am  sure  about  the  extraordinary  performance  at  one 
of  the  concerts  of  the  "  Tannhauser  Overture  "  arranged 
for  five  pianos,  Gottschalk  being  assisted  by  Irma  de 
Pelgrom,  Franz  Staab,  Israel,  and  Behrens.  That  per- 
formance would  have  made  Wagner  himself  sit  up  and 
take  notice.  Gottschalk  was  here  again  in  1862  with 
Carlotta  Patti,  when  she  gave  us  the  "  French  Laughing 
Song"  and  the  "  Venzano  Waltz"  for  the  first  time,  as 
only  she  could  sing  them,  and  in  1864,  when,  together 
with  Lucy  Simons,  soprano,  Morelli,  barytone,  and 
Doehler,  violin,  he  opened  Smith  and  Nixon's  Hall,  on 
the  corner  of  Clark  and  Washington  streets.  This  was 
Gottschalk's  farewell  season. 

Gottschalk  was  often  criticised  for  the  class  of  music 
which  he  played.  It  consisted  principally  of  his  own 
compositions,  "  Bamboula,"  "  Le  Savane,"  "  Recordati," 
"  La  Marche  de  Nuit,"  "  0  ma  Charmante,"  "  Le  Man- 
cilliner,"  "  Ojos  Creollos,"  the  "  Berceuse,"  "  Last 
Hope,"   and  others.     In  reality,  the   music  which  he 


AN  AFTERNOON  WITH  GOTTSCHALK  77 

played  was  not  a  fair  test  of  his  taste  or  his  ability. 
He  once  told  me  that  he  played  these  and  similar  pieces 
because  people  liked  them,  and  because  he  needed  the 
money  they  brought  him,  for  his  own  expenses  were 
large,  and  besides  that  he  was  supporting  five  sisters 
and  a  brother  at  that  time.  Gottschalk  was  a  great 
lover  of  Beethoven's  music,  especially  the  sonatas. 
How  well  I  remember  the  last  time  I  saw  him  !  We 
spent  an  afternoon  together  in  1864,  and  he  played 
for  me  in  his  dreamy  way  the  so-called  "  Moonlight " 
sonata  of  Beethoven,  some  of  Mendelssohn's  "Mid- 
summer Night's  Dream  "  music,  and  his  "  Lieder  ohne 
Worte,"  running  from  one  piece  to  another  with  hardly 
a  pause  except  to  light  a  fresh  cigar  or  interview  the 
merry  Widow  Clicquot.  I  remember  asking  him  why 
he  did  n't  play  that  class  of  music  in  his  concerts.  He 
replied :  "  Because  the  dear  public  don't  want  to  hear 
me  play  it.  People  would  rather  hear  my  '  Banjo,' 
or  '  Ojos  Creollos,'  or  '  Last  Hope.'  Besides,  there  are 
plenty  of  pianists  who  can  play  that  music  as  well  or 
better  than  I  can,  but  none  of  them  can  play  my  music 
half  so  well  as  I  can.  And  what  difference  will  it  make 
a  thousand  years  hence,  anyway  ?  "  All  his  music  was 
either  sensuous  or  sentimental,  for  he  was  tropical  by 
nature,  —  a  wayward,  passionate  creature,  who  delighted 
in  reveries  and  wild,  strange  rhythms.  He  had  an  ex- 
tremely delicate  touch,  and  a  singing  quality  which  I 
have  never  heard  excelled.  And  yet  he  had  great  power 
when  it  was  needed,  for  he  was  a  very  strong  man,  not- 
withstanding his  delicate  appearance.  Personally  he 
was  very  fascinating.    He  had  beautiful  hands,  and  was 


78  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

as  vain  of  them  as  Artemus  Ward  used  to  be  of  his. 
He  had  a  fastidious  way  of  encasing  them  in  the  most 
immaculate  of  gloves,  which  it  took  him  some  time  to 
remove  before  he  began  to  play.  This  was  not  an  affec- 
tation, as  many  thought.  He  said  it  gave  him  time  to 
compose  himself  and  get  at  ease.  As  he  was  very  shy, 
he  did  not  make  many  intimate  friends.  He  was  poet- 
ical in  his  conceptions,  and  yet  had  a  keen  sense  of 
humor.  He  used  to  exhibit  with  great  glee  the  follow- 
ing poem,  written  by  a  New  Orleans  bard,  which  he 
said  was  the  loveliest  tribute  ever  paid  him : 


I  could  sit  entranced  and  drink, 
And  feel  thy  mellow  music  sink, 
Deep,  deep  in  my  bosom's  core, 
Till  liquefied,  I  felt  nothing  more  ; 
My  soul  all  wrapt  up  in  ecstasy, 
And  my  frame  in  numb  catalepsy. 

ii 

From  heaven  the  listening  star 

Entranced  looked  down 
And  stopped  the  heavenly  car 

By  charm  unknown, 
And  I  with  mournful  strain 

The  whippoorwill 
Beyond  Lake  Pontchartrain 

Rejoice  I  will. 

His  last  letter  to  me,  enclosing  his  picture,  was  writ- 
ten from  Rio  Janeiro  only  a  few  weeks  before  his  death. 
It  seemed  fitting  that  he  should  die  in  the  tropics  which 
he  loved  so  well,  for  the  nature  of  this  Hebrew  Creole 
was  tropical. 


RUBINSTEIN  79 

Rubinstein  was  master  of  them  all.  He  comes  back 
to  me  most  vividly  in  his  concerts  at  Aiken's  Theatre 
in  1872  with  Wieniawsky,  and  Louise  Ormeny  and 
Louise  Liebhart,  two  mediocre  vocalists.  He  was  the 
Jupiter  Tonans  of  the  keyboard.  His  personal  appear- 
ance was  impressive.  He  was  athletic  in  mould,  his 
head  was  large,  and  his  hair  luxuriously  abundant  and 
carelessly  worn.*  His  features  were  rugged,  reminding 
one  of  some  of  the  portraits  of  Beethoven,  whom  he 
also  resembled  in  some  of  his  traits  of  character.  He 
was  outwardly  a  cold,  stern  man,  with  a  face  as  rigid 
as  stone.  He  almost  utterly  ignored  audiences,  and  the 
more  frantic  the  applause  the  less  likely  was  he  to  rec- 
ognize it.  It  was  only  when  he  was  disturbed  by  the 
idle  chatter  of  people  that  he  recognized  any  one,  and 
those  recognized  under  such  conditions  were  not  likely 
to  forget  the  manner  of  it.  He  was  a  man  of  strong 
passions,  but  in  performance  they  were  tempered  by 
his  dominant  artistic  nature.  He  could  play  with  tre- 
mendous power,  sometimes  with  such  vehemence  as 
threatened  disaster  to  the  wires,  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
his  melody-playing  was  characterized  by  a  delightful 
singing  quality,  for  with  all  his  energy,  which  some- 
times appeared  ferocious,  he  still  had  great  beauty  of 
tone.  When  it  is  considered  that  he  played  every- 
thing from  memory,  and  that  his  repertory  embraced 
hundreds  of   compositions  for  piano  alone,  as  well  as 

*  I  have  sometimes  wondered  why  it  is  that  violinists  and  pianists  so 
often  belong  to  the  long-haired  genus.  I  cannot  recall  a  long-haired 
'cellist  or  double-bass  player.  'Cellists  usually  are  also  short  and  fat,  like 
their  instruments.  Trombonists  and  cornetists  are  usually  short-haired, 
and  ophicleidists  and  bassoonists  are  nearly  always  bald. 


80  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

concertos,  and  that  he  never  practised,  only  now  and  then 
going  to  the  piano  to  run  over  a  few  measures  of  a 
piece  he  had  not  played  for  a  long  time,  his  great  talent 
will  be  best  appreciated.  He  was  at  his  best,  it  seemed 
to  me,  in  concertos.  By  his  titanic  power  and  impul- 
sive force  he  not  only  made  his  piano  take  its  proper 
place  in  the  sea  of  sound,  but  he  fairly  led  the  orchestra 
in  an  authoritative  manner.  In  a  word,  he  dominated 
audience,  players,  and  sometimes  conductors.  Such 
playing  had  not  been  heard  before  and  is  not  likely  to 
be  heard  again,  for  no  one  can  imitate  him.  He  has 
left  no  school.  He  belonged  to  no  school.  He  was  a 
great  musician  playing  Rubinstein. 

It  is  somewhat  strange,  considering  his  great  success 
and  the  large  remuneration  he  received,  that  he  was 
dissatisfied  with  his  American  tour,  with  the  business 
arrangements,  and  with  piano-playing  altogether.  It 
is  a  little  consoling,  however,  to  know  that  he  disliked 
England  more  than  he  did  the  United  States.  He  once 
said  in  my  hearing  that  Americans  were  too  much  en- 
grossed with  the  love  of  money  to  have  a  real  love  of 
art,  but  they  were  more  impressionable  than  the  English, 
who  were  the  most  unmusical  people  on  earth.  I  have 
heard  more  than  one  eminent  musician  say  the  same 
thing.  In  one  of  his  letters  about  this  time  he  says: 
"  I  put  myself  for  a  certain  time  at  the  entire  disposi- 
tion of  the  impresario,  and  may  God  preserve  you  from 
ever  falling  into  such  slavery.  It  is  all  over  with  art ; 
only  the  shop  remains.  You  become  an  automatical 
instrument  and  the  dignity  of  the  artist  is  lost."  Long 
after  this  tour  he  wrote  to  a  friend :  "  The  whole  time 


RUBINSTEIN'S  AMERICAN  TOUR  81 

I  was  displeased  with  myself  to  such  a  degree  that 
when  a  few  years  later  another  tour  was  proposed  to 
me  with  the  offer  of  fees  amounting  to  half  a  million, 
I  flatly  refused." 

Rubinstein  had  peculiarities  which  society  might  call 
rude,  such  as  his  impatience  with  interruptions  or  dis- 
tractions of  any  kind  while  he  was  playing,  and  his 
refusals  to  attend  receptions  and  social  functions  or  to 
exhibit  himself  for  the  gratification  of  lion-hunters. 
Critics  of  a  small  kind  did  not  like  him  because  he  re- 
fused to  recognize  them  as  a  class.  And  yet  there  have 
been  few  musicians  who  were  more  genial  or  larger 
hearted  than  Rubinstein,  and  never  was  there  a  more 
honest  or  conscientious  musician.  His  purpose  in  com- 
ing to  this  country  was  to  raise  the  standard  of  art,  but 
he  found  he  was  expected  to  lower  his  own  standards, 
and  this  he  was  too  honest  to  do,  so  his  tour  was  a  dis- 
appointment. Perhaps  also  the  fact  that  he  was  eager 
to  abandon  the  keyboard  altogether  and  devote  his 
entire  time  to  composition  may  have  contributed  to  his 
dissatisfaction.  But  who  could  make  his  instrument 
play  with  such  superb  control  ?  Who  could  impart  to 
it  such  an  orchestral  effect,  even  to  the  shimmer  of 
strings  and  the  shrilling  of  trumpets,  and  thus  ennoble 
it  and  give  it  a  dignified  position  in  the  instrumental 
family  ? 

I  first  heard  Von  Biilow  in  1876.  A  numerous  flight 
of  stories,  growing  out  of  his  musical  and  somewhat 
peculiar  domestic  relations  with  Liszt  and  Wagner,  pre- 
ceded his  coming,  and  his  departure  was  followed  by  a 


82  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

long  trail  of  myths  and  romances.  His  was  an  interest- 
ing personality.  He  was  a  little  below  medium  stature, 
with  receding  forehead,  large,  sharp  eyes,  a  somewhat 
belligerent  aspect,  and  martial  bearing.  Perhaps  it  was 
this  latter  feature  in  his  make-up  that  made  him  so 
partial  to  the  drum,  which  he  used  to  say  quieted  his 
nerves  and  soothed  his  temper  because  drum-beating 
was  true  rhythm.  Though  he  was  small  in  figure,  he 
was  big  in  spirit  and  tense  of  nerve,  and  he  played  with 
both  as  well  as  with  great  power  and  extraordinary 
facility  of  technic.  He  was  autocratic,  at  times  belliger- 
ent, and  was  even  more  impatient  with  audiences  than 
Rubinstein.  I  saw  him  once  leave  the  piano  in  a  rage 
because  a  lady  in  the  front  row  was  fanning  herself  out 
of  time.  She  did  not  desist  until  an  usher  explained  to 
her  the  cause  of  his  sudden  flight.  But  when  engaged 
in  playing,  and  everything  was  normal  in  the  audience, 
he  was  very  cool  and  self-possessed.  He  had  a  phe- 
nomenal memory,  as  is  well  known,  and  his  exploits 
with  the  Beethoven  sonatas  and  the  symphonies  when 
he  conducted  them  do  not  need  retelling.  His  pro- 
grammes were  noble  models  and  his  readings  a  fine 
display  of  musical  scholarship.  He  bid  good-bye  to 
Chicago  in  May,  1876,  and  went  away,  taking  with  him 
the  good-will  of  Americans.  He  was  not  so  fortunate 
with  his  own  countrymen.  Some  of  them  had  sharply 
criticised  his  readings,  particularly  of  Beethoven.  In  a 
parting  speech  he  alluded  to  it  as  "  beer  criticism,"  cen- 
sured his  countrymen  for  their  copious  libations  to  Gam- 
brinus,  and  followed  it  up  with  a  general  philippic  on 
beer-drinking.     This  was  too  much  for  the  Teutonic 


A  PROCESSION  OF  PIANISTS  83 

temper  in  Chicago.  Hence  the  outbreak-  Probably 
it  did  not  worry  the  little  man  much,  for  he  dearly 
loved  a  row. 

I  recall  several  other  pianists,  but  I  can  only  refer  to 
them  briefly.  Among  them  are  Alfred  Jaell,  who  came 
to  this  country  with  the  Germania  Society,  already  re- 
ferred to,  —  a  showy,  brilliant  player  in  the  Thalberg 
manner,  and  a  charming,  likable  man,  whose  greatest  de- 
light, moved  perhaps  like  Von  Bulow,  by  sense  of  rhythm, 
was  to  beat  the  bass  drum  when  the  Germania  drummer 
had  a  night  off ;  De  Meyer,  the  Vulcan  of  the  keyboard, 
who  astonished  every  one  with  his  rapidity  and  nearly 
deafened  them  with  his  thundering  sonority ;  Rive-King, 
who  came  in  the  eighties,  and  of  whose  work  I  princi- 
pally remember  that  wonderful  shake  in  Liszt's  Second 
Rhapsody ;  Essipoff,  the  Russian  lady,  who  played 
Chopin  divinely  and  without  the  antics  of  another  well- 
known  Chopin  player,  and  who  was  one  of  the  most 
refined  and  poetical  pianists  I  have  ever  heard ;  Joseffy, 
who  made  his  Chicago  debut  in  1879,  a  most  graceful, 
polished  player,  who  was  a  great  favorite  for  many 
years,  but  has  practically  retired  now,  I  believe ;  poor 
Rummel,  a  player  of  much  ability,  who  showed  the  first 
symptom  of  musical  decline  by  a  sudden  loss  of  memory 
at  a  concert  I  attended ;  and  Anna  Mehlig,  a  fine,  well- 
trained  musician,  who  first  appeared  in  Chicago  with  the 
Thomas  Orchestra.  Mr.  Thomas  used  to  call  her  his 
"  piano  pounder"  because  of  her  massive  tone.  He  was 
a  warm  admirer  of  her  musical  ability  and  artistic  play- 
ing and  once  said  to  me  she  was  almost  the  only  one 


84  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

who  played  under  his  baton  to  whom  he  did  not  have 
to  give  a  thought.  He  knew  the  piano  was  all  right 
and  so  could  give  his  entire  attention  to  his  orchestra. 

I  must  not  omit  Wehli,  the  left-hander,  from  my  list, 
though  "he  never  would  be  missed."  He  made  a 
specialty  of  pieces  for  the  left  hand  alone,  whence  he  de- 
rives the  above  sinister  appellation.  His  name  recalls  a 
ludicrous  episode  which  happened  many  years  ago  in 
the  Crosby  Opera  House,  during  a  German  opera  season. 
Grover,  the  manager,  very  foolishly  arranged  for  piano 
solos  by  Wehli  in  the  entr'actes.  Habelman  and  Her- 
manns were  respectively  the  leading  tenor  and  basso. 
Upon  one  occasion  Wehli  took  his  seat  at  the  piano,  ran 
his  hands  over  the  keys,  suddenly  held  them  up  and 
looked  at  them,  and  left  the  stage.  A  "  super  "  came  in 
and  wiped  the  keys  carefully,  and  Wehli  returned. 
Supposing  that  he  had  been  offended  because  of  dust  on 
the  keyboard,  I  somewhat  sharply  criticised  his  action 
on  the  next  morning.  In  reply,  I  received  the  follow- 
ing note  explaining  the  situation. 

Teemont  Hocsk,  Sunday. 

"Dear  Sir, — Your  remarks  would  have  been  very  just  you 
made  that  day  but  I  hope  you  will  permit  me  to  explain  the 
reason  for  my  wanting  to  have  the  piano  cleaned.  The  Ger- 
mans are  jealous  at  my  uniform  success  and  at  the  kind  sup- 
port I  receive  from  the  critics.  The  piano  was  besmeared 
with  German  lard  or  tallow  of  some  kind  about  half  an  inch 
thick  and  prevented  my  playing  as  the  fingers  slipped  about. 
I  would  feel  deeply  obliged  if  you  would  give  this  affair  proper 
publicity  in  your  valuable  paper.  Jas.  M.  Wehli." 

I  learned  afterwards  that  the  greasing  of  the  keys 
was  done  by  Hermanns  and   Habelman.     Hermanns's 


"BLIND  TOM"— CARRENO  85 

artistic  sense  of  the  unities  was  affronted  because  he 
thought  the  piano  solo  interrupted  the  movement  of  the 
opera,  and  Habelman  was  enraged  because  Wehli  had 
expressed  an  ardent  desire  to  slap  the  face  of  the  sweet 
singer  of  "  Adelaide,"  though  for  some  unknown  reason 
he  never  gave  himself  that  pleasure. 

"  Blind  Tom  "  can  hardly  be  classed  as  a  pianist,  but  as  a 
lusus  musicce  he  was  certainly  remarkable.  He  flourished 
in  Chicago  in  the  seventies,  but  he  had  been  exhibited  in 
public  eight  or  ten  years  previous  to  that  time.  He  had 
a  wonderful  memory,  though  it  was  given  out  that  he 
was  feeble-minded.  It  added  to  the  remarkable  char- 
acter of  his  feats  that  he  was  also  blind.  He  had  had  no 
instruction  and  did  not  even  know  the  rudiments  of 
music,  and  yet  he  could  play  three  airs  at  once  and  re- 
peat any  piece  after  a  single  hearing  of  it,  rarely  missing 
a  note  or  striking  a  false  one.  He  enjoyed  his  own  per- 
formances quite  as  heartily  as  his  audience  did,  and  when 
they  applauded  he  joined  in,  clapping  his  hands  with 
great  glee.  His  father  and  mother  were  slaves  in  Georgia, 
and  when  they  were  offered  for  sale,  the  price  was  $1500 
without  Tom  and  $1200  ivith  him.  His  purchaser  made 
a  fortune  exhibiting  him.  I  think  he  is  still  living,  but 
whether  he  retains  his  musical  faculty  I  do  not  know. 

When  I  began  this  work,  I  intended  not  to  recall 
any  one  now  actively  engaged  in  the  profession  of 
music,  but  Carreno  is  nearing  the  close  of  her  remark- 
able career  and  has  proved  such  a  striking  exception 
to  most  musical  experiences  that  I  cannot  refrain  from 


86  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

saying  something  about  her.  She  is  one  of  the  few  in- 
fant phenomenons  who  have  more  than  made  good  the 
promise  of  childhood.  She  was  born  in  Venezuela  in 
1853,  and  consequently  is  now  in  her  fifty-fifth  year. 
As  a  child  she  was  possessed  of  great  personal  charm 
and  beauty,  and  she  is  still  a  beautiful,  stately  woman. 
As  a  young  player  (I  first  heard  her,  I  think,  in  1863) 
she  was  moody,  sometimes  playing  divinely,  sometimes 
recklessly,  as  she  happened  to  feel.  Time,  however,  has 
softened  her  moods.  She  is  growing  old  in  years  with 
exceeding  grace  and  growing  old  in  music  with  all  the 
grace  of  the  finished  artist.  When  I  heard  her  only 
a  few  evenings  ago,  playing  poor  MacDowell's  Concerto, 
it  seemed  to  me  that  the  kindly  faced,  gray-haired 
woman  played  far  more  artistically  than  she  had  done 
as  the  young  woman  of  passionate  moods,  and  that  she 
had  developed  wellnigh  perfect  artistry.  I  remembered 
her  well  as  a  girl,  and  now,  after  all  these  years,  it 
was  pleasant  to  sit  and  listen  again  to  her  playing  and 
recall  the  old  days  with  a  pleasure  not  marred  by  the 
old  lament,  "jEheu,  fugaces  anni!" 


CHAPTER  VIII 
SOME    PRIMA    DONNAS 

NILSSON  —  QUALITIES  OF  HER  SINGING  —  HER  MOODS  AND 
HABITS  —  MANY  ADMIRERS  —  A  MEMORABLE  BIRTHDAY  — 
PAULINE  LUCCA  AND  HER  ROMANTIC  CAREER  —  ETELKA 
GERSTER  —  A  BRIEF  AND  BRILLIANT  CAREER  —  THE 
FAMOUS  GERSTER-PATTI  EPISODE  —  LAGRANGE,  MINNIE 
HAUCK,  AND  MARIE  ROZE  —  ANOTHER  FAMOUS  EPISODE  — 
KELLOGG  AND  CARY  —  CADENZAS  AND  CAR  VENTILATION  — 
MATERNA  AND  LEHMANN  —  TWO  GREAT  WAGNER  SINGERS 
—  LEHMANN'S    PLEA    FOR    THE    ANIMALS 

IF  ever  a  prima  donna  has  had  a  charmed  life  it 
is  Christine  Nilsson.  I  wonder  was  it  because 
she  was  the  seventh  child  of  a  seventh  child ! 
She  told  me  so  once  with  such  a  serious  expression 
of  face  that  I  think  she  really  believed  in  the  nu- 
merical significance.  It  seems  to  me  but  yesterday 
that  I  saw  her,  —  tall,  willowy,  with  high  cheek- 
bones, expressive  blue  eyes,  flashing  teeth,  ash-colored 
hair,  and  shapely  hands.  The  outlines  of  her  face 
were  a  little  severe,  yet  how  attractive,  even  fasci- 
nating, she  was,  especially  if  you  happened  to  see  her 
in  her  favorite  color  of  gray !  And  can  it  be  pos- 
sible that  she  is  now  a  sedate,  retired  old  lady  in  her 
sixty-fifth  year?  It  must  be  so,  for  all  the  "Who's 
Whos"  affirm  she  was  born  in  1843. 

Christine  Nilsson  first  appeared  in  concerts  in  Chicago 
with  Brignoli,  Vieuxtemps,  Verger  the  barytone,  and 


88  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

Annie  Louise  Cary,  and  during  the  same  year  (1871) 
she  sang  in  the  oratorios  of  "  The  Messiah  "  and  "  The 
Creation"  with  Imogene  Brown,  Annie  Louise  Cary, 
Alexander  Bischoff,  and  Myron  D.  Whitney.  She  also 
sang  here  in  concerts  in  1883  with  Hope  Glenn,  Del 
Puente,  and  the  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club,  and  in 
opera  in  1884,  as  well  as  in  "  The  Messiah "  and 
"Elijah,"  with  the  long-ago  defunct  Oratorio  Society. 
Has  any  one  who  heard  her  sing  in  the  great  duet 
from  "The  Huguenots"  or  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
liveth"  ever  forgotten  it?  She  had  a  voice  of  remark- 
able sweetness  and  beauty,  vocalization  of  the  most 
skilful  and  fluent  sort,  and  brilliant  fioriture.  She  had 
a  peculiar  grace  of  manner  and  seemed  to  sing  with 
her  expressive  eyes  and  every  motion  of  her  supple 
figure.  She  was  also  capable  of  producing  certain  rare 
effects,  such  as  the  sotto  voce,  which  she  would  employ 
when  she  wished  to  make  an  unusual  impression,  so 
that  in  one  sense  her  singing  appeared  calculated.  Her 
finest  operatic  roles,  it  always  seemed  to  me,  were  those 
of  Valentin  in  "  The  Huguenots,"  in  which  she  reached 
a  powerful  dramatic  climax ;  Alice  in  "  Robert  the 
Devil,"  which  afforded  her  an  opportunity  of  displaying 
her  qualities  in  all  their  perfection;  the  title  role  of 
Mignon,  which  was  rewritten  for  her,*  and  in  which 
she  was  very  fascinating  by  reason  of  her  remarkable 
singing,  though  she  was  not  so  great  a  Mignon  as 
Lucca ;  and  Marguerite  in  "  Faust."  I  have  seen 
every  variety  of  Marguerites  from  the  passionate  to 
the  cold-blooded,  from  satin-gowned  and  bediamonded 

*  The  part  was  originally  written  for  mezzo-soprano  voice. 


NILSSON'S  MOODS  AND  HABITS  89 

Marguerites  to  Marguerites  in  peasant  garb.  The  stage 
Marguerites  indeed  seem  to  belong  to  one  extreme  or 
the  other,  —  all  nature,  all  art,  or  all  nobodies ;  but 
Nilsson  found  a  happy  medium  by  a  combination  of 
art  and  nature,  though  again  her  Marguerite  was  not  so 
great  as  Lucca's.  But  whose  was,  unless  it  was  Ellen 
Terry's  on  the  dramatic  stage  ?  It  is  a  long  slant  from 
Gounod's  garden  music  to  burnt-cork  minstrelsy,  but 
how  effective  she  made  "  The  Old  Folks  at  Home  "  — 
a  fitting  pendant  to  Patti's  "  Home,  Sweet  Home ! " 

Nilsson  was  a  singular  bundle  of  moods,  contrarieties, 
and  little  superstitions,  and  yet  she  was  a  sunshiny,  opti- 
mistic creature.  She  would  have  made  an  accomplished 
diplomat.  She  could  say  more  without  committing  her- 
self than  any  one  I  ever  knew.  She  always  observed 
a  most  courteous  demeanor  before  audiences  and  had  a 
personal  appeal  in  her  singing  that  gave  each  one  in  the 
audience  the  impression  that  she  was  singing  for  him  or 
her.  She  never  permitted  herself  to  be  disturbed  or  sur- 
prised or  to  confess  she  was  in  an  awkward  situation. 
She  had  no  quarrels  with  her  fellow  artists,  for  she  kept 
a  naturally  imperious  disposition  in  check,  nor  did  she 
display  jealousy,  except  perhaps  upon  one  occasion  when 
she  forced  her  manager  to  give  her  a  sum  equivalent  to 
that  which  Mapleson  was  paying  Patti.  She  was  diplo- 
matic in  her  card-playing,  of  which  she  was  fond.  Upon 
one  occasion,  during  a  game  in  the  Lenten  season,  a 
caller  was  announced.  The  cards  disappeared  as  if  by 
magic,  and  the  caller  found  her  deeply  engrossed  in  a 
devotional  work  and  reluctant  to  be  torn  away  from 
it.     Here  is  one  of  her  diplomatic  little  speeches  to  an 


90  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

audience :  "  I  am  so  sorry  to  bid  you  good-bye,  but  per- 
haps I  will  come  back,  buy  a  little  home,  and  stay  with 
you  always,  if  you  will  let  me."  Was  there  ever  neater 
blandishment  for  a  guileless,  unsuspecting  audience  ? 
Oh !  but  she  was  a  past  mistress  of  flattery !  Here  is  an 
extract  from  one  of  her  diplomatic  letters  :  "  I  love  the 
Americans.  I  send  them  my  love,  and  I  beg  them  to 
understand  that  on  no  account  would  I  quit  the  stage 
without  singing  again  in  the  United  States.  I  am  sorry 
I  cannot  go  again  this  year,  but  I  cannot.  They  are  not 
to  think  it  is  because  I  do  not  want  to.  I  long  to  see 
your  country  and  your  people  once  more.  Some  of  the 
dearest  friends  I  have  in  the  world  are  there.  They  are 
all  my  friends,  are  they  not  ?  I  assure  you  I  admire 
America,  and  I  want  you  to  say  so.  And  don't  forget 
to  give  them  my  love,  and  say  I  shall  be  sure  to  go  and 
see  them  as  soon  as  I  can."  Nilsson  was  also  demo- 
cratic as  well  as  diplomatic.  As  the  gallery  is  not  in 
the  habit  of  passing  bouquets  up  to  the  stage,  she  now 
and  then  would  provide  them  herself,  and  have  some  one 
take  them  to  the  upper  proscenium  box  and  throw  them 
to  the  stage  at  the  proper  time.  Then  she  would  pick 
them  up,  kiss  them,  lift  her  eyes  with  a  rapturous  smile, 
and  thus  acknowledge  the  gift  the  gods  had  sent  her. 
She  also  had  her  little  superstitions,  which  she  sought  to 
overcome  by  carrying  a  horseshoe  with  her  as  a  mascot. 
A  gipsy  once  told  her  she  must  beware  of  fire.  She 
lost  somewhat  heavily  by  the  Chicago  fire,  and  also  by 
the  subsequent  fire  in  Boston,  against  which  her  horse- 
shoe failed  to  protect  her.  Her  superstitions,  however, 
were  harmless,  for  she  had  strong  common  sense  back  of 


NILSSON'S  MANY  ADMIRERS  91 

them.  It  was  eminently  sensible  advice  which  she  once 
gave  a  young  operatic  aspirant :  "It  is  not  enough  to 
possess  a  voice  and  knowledge  of  music  and  some  his- 
trionic talent,  or  whatever  it  is,  to  carry  you  through  an 
opera ;  you  must  be  physically,  brutally  strong.  It 
is  the  knowledge  of  this  which  makes  lyric  artists  so 
sensitive  when  they  are  said  to  be  ill.  They  know  that 
without  physical  strength  to  sing  through  such  an  opera 
as  '  Lohengrin,'  for  instance,  art,  talent,  genius,  what 
you  will,  are  of  no  avail." 

Nilsson  had  a  host  of  admirers  of  all  conditions.  She 
once  wrote  :  "  My  ambition  is  to  make  heaps  of  money, 
invest  it  well,  fall  desperately  in  love  with  a  handsome 
man,  and  in  the  course  of  time  go  back  with  him  and  a 
couple  of  handsome  children  to  Sweden.  I  should  like 
to  ride  about  with  them  in  a  nice  carriage,  showing 
them  to  old  friends."  There  was  once  some  gossip  about 
her  betrothal  to  Gustav  Dore,  the  artist.  He  proposed 
to  her,  but  was  rejected.  Far  from  being  discouraged, 
he  proposed  a  second  time,  whereupon  she  told  him  she 
would  take  six  months  to  think  it  over ;  but  at  the  end 
of  that  time  her  reply  was  in  the  negative,  and  Dore  re- 
treated from  the  field.  She  had  a  devoted  admirer  in 
Chicago  in  1871,  one  Jerome  Meyer,  who  seized  every 
opportunity  to  see  her  at  the  Sherman  House,  followed 
her  carriage  in  the  streets,  and  at  last  went  to  the  hotel 
with  a  coach  and  four  to  urge  her  to  elope.  It  became 
necessary  to  call  in  the  police  and  have  the  frenzied 
suitor  removed.  But,  as  Nilsson  said  in  the  above  letter, 
she  did  make  heaps  of  money,  and  invested  it,  and  al- 
though she   lost  some  of  it,  she   married  a  handsome 


92  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

man ;  for  the  half  Creole,  August  Rouzaud,  was  a  very 
handsome  man  with  a  very  cavalier  manner,  as  I  re- 
member him.  But  he  was  not  happy  long.  He  was 
possessed  with  the  idea  that  he  was  responsible  for  her 
financial  losses,  and  when  he  tried  to  make  up  for  them, 
he  only  made  bad  matters  worse.  This  preyed  upon 
his  mind  so  continuously  that  reason  finally  gave  way, 
and  he  was  removed  to  an  asylum,  where  he  died.  She 
subsequently  married  Count  de  Miranda,  a  Spanish  noble- 
man, and  retired  from  the  stage. 

My  pleasantest  memory  of  Christine  Nilsson  is  con- 
nected with  her  birthday  celebration  at  the  Sherman 
House  in  Chicago  in  1871,  to  which  I  have  already 
made  allusion.  She  was  in  the  gayest  of  moods  that 
evening,  waived  all  the  conventionalities,  and  showed 
herself  a  Bohemian  of  the  most  rollicking,  sunshiny 
kind.  Verger  sang  musical  caricatures  of  the  leading 
barytones  on  the  stage.  Vieuxtemps  sacrificed  his  high 
art  ideas  to  the  humor  of  "  The  Arkansas  Traveller  "  and 
the  fascinations  of  "  Money  Musk  "  ;  Brignoli  played  his 
Battle  March,  which  he  thought  was  an  inspiration,  and 
was  inclined  to  be  offended  when  he  looked  round  and 
saw  the  company,  with  Nilsson  in  the  lead,  doing  an 
extraordinary  cake  walk  to  its  rhythm,  for  Brignoli 
took  that  march  very  seriously.  Nilsson  gave  some 
ludicrous  imitations  of  the  trombone,  double-bass,  tym- 
pani,  and  bassoon,  and  sang  humorous  songs.  The 
closing  act  of  the  revelry,  which  lasted  far  into  the 
email  hours,  was  a  travesty  on  the  Garden  Scene  in 
"  Faust "  by  Nilsson  and  Brignoli,  in  which  the  big 
tenor's  gravity  of  mien  and  awkwardness  of  love-making 


n 
a 


> 

c 
r 

B 

f 

G 


PAULINE  LUCCA  93 

was  admirably  set  off  by  Nilsson's  volatile  foolery.  It 
was  a  night  of  hilarity  and  fun-making  long  to  be  re- 
membered. And  now  I  read  that  the  once  famous  singer 
spent  her  sixty-fourth  birthday  in  the  Swedish  village  of 
Gardsby  and  delighted  an  enthusiastic  audience  with 
the  song,  "  I  think  I  am  just  fourteen."  I  should  not 
be  surprised  if  she  honestly  believes  it,  for  she  is  one 
of  the  elect  who  can  never  grow  old  in  spirit. 

While  I  am  writing  this  chapter,  a  cablegram  brings 
the  tidings  of  Lucca's  death  in  Vienna.  The  despatch 
gives  her  more  stately  name,  Baroness  Pauline  Wall- 
hofen-Lucca,  but  I  remember  her  as  simply  Pauline 
Lucca.  She  was  sixty-seven  years  of  age  when  she 
died,  and  had  been  teaching  most  of  the  time  since 
1884,  when  she  retired  from  the  stage  she  had  so 
brilliantly  adorned.  When  I  saw  her  she  was  in  the 
very  prime  of  her  career.  She  made  her  Chicago  debut 
in  1873  in  "  Favorita,"  but  not  in  her  best  part.  Her 
most  successful  roles  were  Zerlina  in  "Fra  Diavolo," 
Cherubino  in  "Nozze  di  Figaro,"  Zerlina  in  "Don 
Giovanni,"  the  title  role  in  "  Mignon,"  Selika  in 
"  L'Africaine,"  and  Marguerite  in  "  Faust."  Meyerbeer 
was  such  an  admirer  of  her  talent  that  he  made  a 
codicil  to  his  will  to  the  effect  that  if  Lucca  were 
engaged  to  play  Zelika  at  the  Berlin  Opera  House, 
"  L'Africaine "  might  be  produced  in  Germany  in  the 
German  language.  She  appeared  in  his  opera  in  the 
same  year,  at  London  in  Italian,  and  at  Berlin  in 
German.  Her  Marguerite  was  not  only  one  of  the 
most  artistic  performances  on  the  operatic  stage,  but 


94  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

also  an  innovation  upon  the  conventional  representa- 
tions of  the  part,  for  she  was  a  brunette  Gretchen  with 
black  braids  reaching  nearly  to  her  pretty  feet.  She 
created  as  much  surprise  at  the  time  as  Fechter's  blond 
Hamlet  did  a  few  years  previously.  She  was  a  graceful, 
handsome,  and  sprightly  little  creature,  a  most  accom- 
plished actress,  and  one  with  the  highest  regard  for 
dramatic  truth  and  propriety.  In  fact,  it  is  difficult  to 
say  which  was  her  greatest  attraction,  her  beautiful, 
sympathetic  singing,  teste  "Kennst  Du  das  Land?"  in 
"  Mignon,"  or  her  dramatic  power,  teste  the  scene  with 
Mephistopheles  at  the  church  door  in  "  Faust."  If  she 
had  devoted  her  talent  to  the  dramatic  stage,  she  might 
have  been  one  of  the  great  actresses  of  her  time.  She 
not  only  identified  herself  with  the  character  she  was 
representing,  but  her  respect  for  the  unities  was  so 
great  that  she  paid  little  attention  to  applause  or 
demands  for  encores. 

On  the  stage  Lucca  was  engrossed  with  her  art.  Off 
the  stage,  she  was  a  different  person.  She  had  a  pecul- 
iar personal  fascination  which  few  could  resist.  The 
Emperor  William  had  yielded  to  it  and  appointed  her 
his  favorite  court  singer.  Bismarck  was  a  victim  and 
frankly  declared  he  would  give  much  to  possess  a  con- 
fidential secretary  with  so  clear  a  head  as  that  of  his 
"  amiable  little  Pauline,"  and  publicly  exhibited  his 
admiration  by  having  his  picture  taken  with  his  "  amia- 
ble" friend  at  his  side  —  a  German  Hercules  and  Om- 
phale.  Even  stern  old  Von  Moltke  succumbed  in  spite 
of  all  his  strategetical  defences.  She  was  devoted  to  the 
army,  and  the  army  was  devoted  to  her,  and  it  was  this 


LUCCA'S  ROMANTIC  CAREER  95 

devotion  which  led  to  her  romantic  marital  experiences. 
She  had  an  offer  from  Prince  Lobkowitz,  but  notwith- 
standing his  musical  traditions,  she  rejected  him,  where- 
upon he  generously  got  himself  killed  in  a  duel.  The 
story  of  her  two  husbands  is  interesting.  The  first  one, 
Baron  von  Rahden,  was  wounded  in  the  Franco-German 
War,  and  she  went  to  the  military  hospital  to  nurse  him. 
The  second  husband,  Baron  Wallhofen,  a  cavalry  of- 
ficer, was  wounded  at  the  same  time,  was  an  inmate  of 
the  same  hospital,  and  shared  her  attentions.  In  1872 
she  brought  a  suit  in  this  country  for  divorce  from  Von 
Rahden  without  his  knowledge,  alleging  infidelity  as 
the  cause.  He  tried  to  have  it  set  aside  subsequently, 
but  failed,  and  consoled  himself  by  promptly  marrying 
the  object  of  Lucca's  jealousy.  Thereupon  Lucca  married 
Wallhofen,  who  had  followed  her  to  the  United  States, 
and,  I  presume,  lived  as  happily  and  contentedly  with 
him  as  such  an  impulsive,  exacting  little  woman  could. 
Like  the  Duchess  of  Gerolstein,  she  dearly  loved  "  the 
military."  She  would  have  made  a  stunning  vivandiere. 
In  private  life  she  was  quite  democratic,  plain  of  speech, 
unassuming  of  attire,  and  fond  of  Wurst  and  Schwarzbrod 
—  perhaps  because  they  were  military  rations.  She  was 
also  frank,  forcible,  and  independent  in  expression  of 
opinion.  Upon  one  occasion  I  was  her  neighbor  at 
dinner,  and  observing  that  she  frequently  held  her  hand 
to  her  head,  I  asked  her  if  she  was  in  pain,  to  which 
she  replied  she  had  a  headache.  She  then  proceeded 
to  anathematize  both  her  head  and  the  ache  with  most 
ornate  and  ingeniously  combined  German  military  ex- 
pletives.    Evidently  she  had  no  use  for  expletives  which 


96  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

were  not  military.  Ordinary  ones  were  inadequate  to  ex- 
press her  feelings  or  relieve  her  mind.  Then,  again,  they 
were  the  vernacular  of  the  camps,  and  for  this  reason  she 
chose  them.  Perhaps  also,  as  she  was  at  that  time 
somewhat  tangled  up  in  the  affairs  of  her  two  soldier 
barons,  they  may  have  been  a  still  further  relief.  Any- 
way, they  seemed  to  comfort  her  and  restore  her  equa- 
nimity, for  she  soon  was  vivacious  and  talkative  and 
became  the  life  of  the  company.  She  evidently  was  not 
overcome  with  the  consuming  love  for  America  which 
Nilsson  displayed  with  such  protestation.  She  had  just 
come  from  New  York,  which  she  described  as  a  colossal 
city  with  a  million  people  indefatigably  trying  to  get 
each  other's  money  away.  It  would  take  another  Co- 
lumbus, she  said,  to  discover  any  appreciation  or  en- 
joyment of  the  artistic  or  intellectual  there. 

Now  this  sprightly  little  woman  has  gone  and  will 
never  have  headaches  again  nor  deliver  delightful  mili- 
tary expletives  so  bewitchingly  as  she  did  that  evening. 
Requiescat  in  pace. 

Etelka  Gerster,  the  Hungarian  singer,  who  made  her 
Chicago  debut  January  13,  1879,  had  one  of  the  short- 
est and  most  brilliant  careers  on  record.  One  week  she 
was  a  comparatively  obscure  vocalist,  and  the  next  week 
a  dozen  cities  were  competing  for  her.  Her  first  per- 
formance spread  her  fame  all  over  Europe.  She  was  a 
meteor  in  the  musical  firmament,  shooting  into  sight  out 
of  the  darkness,  flaming  a  little  way  in  dazzling  flight, 
then  disappearing  again  into  the  darkness,  leaving  no 
sign. 


ETELKA  GERSTER  97 

Gerster  was  not  a  handsome  woman,  like  so  many  of 
her  contemporaries,  but  her  face  lightened  up  pleasantly 
and  displayed  a  very  attractive  earnestness  in  dramatic 
roles ;  for  while  she  was  by  no  means  a  finished  actress, 
she  was  a  natural  one.  Her  voice  was  a  pure  soprano 
without  a  flaw  in  it.  Her  high  register  was  clear  and 
birdlike,  much  resembling  Jenny  Lind's,  and  her  middle 
and  low  tones  were  full  and  rich.  She  displayed  no 
effort  in  singing,  taking  even  the  most  florid  passages 
with  perfect  ease,  and  this  facility,  joined  with  her  clear, 
pure  tones,  the  carrying  power  of  her  voice,  her  precision 
of  pitch,  and  her  wonderfully  brilliant  fioriture,  made  her 
one  of  the  most  attractive  and  popular  singers  of  her 
day.  It  is  a  pity  that  such  a  splendid  career  was  so 
short-lived.  She  was  in  this  country  several  times,  but 
the  last  time,  in  1885,  there  could  be  no  mistake.  That 
exquisite  voice  was  in  ruins  and  beyond  hope  of  resto- 
ration. Could  it  have  been  saved  and  could  she  have 
had  a  few  more  years  on  the  stage,  Patti,  Nilsson,  and  all 
the  other  artists  of  the  period  would  have  had  to  look  to 
their  laurels,  for  she  had  every  requisite  of  the  perfect 
singer.  She  was  not  powerfully  dramatic,  like  Lucca, 
for  instance,  but  the  public  are  not  in  the  habit  of  looking 
to  the  operatic  stage  for  actresses.  When  they  do  they 
are  usually  disappointed. 

Off  the  stage  Gerster  was  a  very  enjoyable  person  to 
meet,  as  she  had  no  affectations  and  did  not  care  to  talk 
shop.  She  was  quite  domestic,  an  accomplished  house- 
keeper and  excellent  cook.  At  hotels  she  usually  sent 
for  the  chef  and  arranged  the  details  of  her  menus  with 
him.      If   these   arrangements   failed   in   the   slightest 


98  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

degree,  she  would  get  angry,  for  she  had  a  quick  temper. 
Once  she  told  the  proprietor  he  must  discharge  his  chef, 
for  he  had  put  too  much  salt  in  her  soup.  On  another 
occasion  she  wished  for  olive  oil,  and  the  bottle  Miss 
Kellogg  had  been  using  was  brought  to  her.  She  would 
not  even  look  at  it,  and  ordered  it  taken  away  with  the 
remark  that  it  was  horrid  stuff  and  fit  only  for  an 
American.  The  situation  was  a  little  strained,  for 
Gerster  did  not  like  Miss  Kellogg  and  of  course  would 
not  like  what  Miss  Kellogg  liked.  But  as  Miss  Kellogg 
was  more  difficult  to  suit  than  Gerster,  except  when  her 
mother  did  the  cooking,  it  is  most  likely  that  the  oil 
was  good  enough  even  for  the  Hungarian. 

The  most  interesting  event  in  this  artist's  career  was 
the  Gerster-Patti  war.  It  was  not  a  very  long  one, 
though  it  reached  from  Chicago  to  San  Francisco,  but 
it  was  hot  and  spectacular  while  it  lasted.  The  two 
singers  were  in  the  same  troupe  on  one  of  Mapleson's 
Western  tours  and  were  mortally  jealous  of  each  other. 
Mapleson  unwisely  incensed  Gerster  by  showing  favors 
to  Patti.  When  they  appeared  together  on  the  stage, 
Patti  would  receive  a  profusion  of  flowers,  some  of  them 
official,  doubtless,  but  Gerster  would  get  the  most  ap- 
plause, and  this  so  embittered  Patti  that  at  last  she 
refused  to  sing  at  the  same  time  with  her.  One  day 
Gerster  saw  a  poster  with  Patti's  name  on  it  larger  and 
blacker  than  hers,  whereupon  she  disappeared  and  was 
not  found  for  two  or  three  days.  Patti  declared  that 
Gerster  had  the  evil  eye,  and  that  when  they  reached  San 
Francisco  she  would  probably  cause  an  earthquake.  Ger- 
ster, however,  got  back  handsomely,  for  when  she  saw  the 


Etelka  Gerster 


THE  FAMOUS  GERSTER-PATTI  EPISODE  99 

Governor  of  Missouri  kiss  Patti,  she  quietly  observed 
in  Patti' s  hearing  that  there  was  no  harm  in  a  man's 
kissing  a  woman  old  enough  to  be  his  mother.  That 
settled  it.  They  spoke  no  more,  but  regarded  each 
other  haughtily  from  a  distance.  They  travelled  in 
separate  cars.  When  Gerster  learned  that  there  was 
to  be  an  extra  concert  in  Denver,  for  which  she  and 
Patti  were  billed,  she  engaged  a  special  train  to  take 
her  to  New  York,  and  it  kept  Mapleson  occupied  a 
whole  day  in  pacifying  her  with  sympathetic  appeals 
and  direful  threats  of  the  courts.  Whenever  Gerster's 
name  was  mentioned,  Patti  would  make  the  finger  sign 
to  avert  evil,  and  Gerster  was  not  slow  in  devising  simi- 
lar methods  of  displa}dng  her  tender  regard  for  Patti. 
At  last  they  reached  San  Francisco,  where  the  two  had 
a  picturesque  variety  of  quarrels  ;  but  Gerster  mercifully 
spared  the  city  from  destruction  by  looking  at  it  only 
with  her  good  eye.  The  eruption  was  confined  to  the 
troupe.  It  finally  died  away  with  low  mutterings  and 
occasional  sputterings,  but  the  Colonel  told  me  on  his 
return  that  even  then  he  could  feel  some  of  the  seismic 
vibrations,  and  that  the  episode  was  one  of  the  worst 
he  had  experienced  in  a  career  which  was  as  liable 
to  cyclonic  disturbances  as  a  Kansas  prairie. 

Anna  de  Lagrange  is  now  hardly  more  than  the 
shadow  of  a  name,  and  yet  she  was  a  far  better  artist 
than  many  whose  names  are  recorded  in  the  dictionaries 
of  music.  She  came  to  New  York  in  1853  and  was 
engaged  both  in  opera  and  concerts  for  three  or  four 
years,  appearing   several   times  in  Chicago.     She  was 


100  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

then  past  her  prime,  but  she  was  still  an  accomplished 
singer.  Her  voice  was  not  remarkable  for  power,  nor 
was  her  dramatic  talent  extraordinary,  but  she  was  a 
true  artist,  and  her  work  showed  the  results  of  consci- 
entious study  and  love  of  her  art.  She  was  extremely 
modest  and  dignified  in  her  stage  bearing  and  averse  to 
passionate  display  in  her  roles.  An  interesting  story  is 
told  in  this  connection  which  will  serve  also  to  intro- 
duce Brignoli,  the  tenor.  They  were  singing  together 
at  Havana,  one  evening,  in  "  Lucia."  Brignoli  took  the 
part  of  Edgardo,  in  which  vocally  he  was  supreme ;  but 
that  evening  he  failed  to  make  an  impression,  and  in  the 
last  act  the  house  was  half  empty.  This  was  something 
new  for  Brignoli.  The  next  day  he  asked  a  friend  to 
explain  the  embarrassing  situation.  The  friend  said  : 
"  Why,  you  sang  false  and  had  no  heart  in  your  music. 
Cubans  will  not  excuse  such  faults."  Brignoli  some- 
what testily  replied :  "  It  was  not  my  fault ;  Lagrange 
was  so  cold  that  she  froze  me."  Brignoli's  complaint 
reached  Lagrange's  ears.  She  resolved  to  be  ardent 
enough  at  least  to  convince  him  that  he  could  not  again 
attribute  his  bad  singing  to  her  want  of  fervor.  In  the 
meantime  Brignoli  had  been  communing  with  himself 
and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  perhaps  he  was  the 
freezer.  The  next  evening  both  of  them  warmed  up, 
and  the  result  was  curtain  calls,  bravas,  and  flowers  from 
the  warmed-up  Cubans.  I  think  both  were  right,  for 
naturally  the  two  were  politely  prim  and  courteously 
cold.  A  passionate  climax  could  not  be  achieved  by 
either  of  them  without  a  tremendous  tour  de  force- 
But  it  would  be  hard  to  find  a  more  faithful  artist  than 


-!      N 


- 
O 
N 
M 


LAGRANGE,  HAUCK,  AND  flOZB  10 1 

Lagrange.  She  never  marred  a  season  with  disappoint- 
ments, never  wrangled  with  her  managers,  and  never 
descended  to  the  petty  jealousies  so  common  among 
singers.  She  was  a  beautiful  dresser  and  fond  of  orna- 
ments, which  was  somewhat  curious  for  one  so  quiet 
and  retiring,  but  if  she  had  any  personal  vanities  she 
sacrificed  them  in  favor  of  her  art.  Like  Lilli  Lehmann, 
she  was  extremely  fond  of  animals  and  travelled  with 
quite  a  menagerie,  including  three  dogs,  a  parrot,  a 
mocking-bird,  and  a  husband,  all  docile  and  well  trained. 
It  may  well  be  imagined  that  the  managers  looked 
askance  at  the  entire  retinue,  for  managers  do  not  rel- 
ish impedimenta  of  this  sort ;  but  they  overlooked  it  in 
consideration  of  having  for  once  a  prima  donna  who  did 
not  spend  most  of  her  time  devising  ways  to  evade  the 
conditions  of  her  contract. 

I  must  couple  Minnie  Hauck  and  Marie  Roze  together, 
though  he  would  have  been  a  bold  man  to  attempt  such 
a  feat  in  1878.  The  two  artists  never  loved  each  other. 
Perhaps  "  Carmen  "  had  something  to  do  with  it.  The 
title  role  was  originally  written  for  Marie  Roze,  but 
she  found  so  much  fault  with  the  vagaries  of  the 
cigar  girl  and  the  music,  that  Bizet  at  last  fixed  it  up 
for  Galli- Marie.  Meanwhile  Minnie  Hauck  looked  the 
opera  over  and  saw  her  opportunity.  "  Carmen  "  just 
suited  her.  The  cigar  girl  did  not  frighten  her  in  the 
least.  It  was  just  the  kind  of  reckless  abandon  and 
strenuous  adventure  she  liked,  and  she  made  a  tre- 
mendous success  with  the  part.  Marie  Roze,  after  the 
opera  had  become  popular,  tried  it  and  did  not  succeed. 


WA  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

She  was  too  gentle  and  proper  for  the  Seville  vixen. 
Mary's  little  lamb  trying  to  be  a  wild-cat  is  a  tame 
comparison.  Then,  again,  the  ladies  had  husbands. 
Minnie  Hauck's  husband  was  the  Chevalier  Hesse  von 
Wartegg,  a  writer  of  considerable  note,  whose  pen, 
during  opera  seasons,  was  mostly  employed  in  writing 
requests  to  the  manager  and  inditing  defences  of  his 
wife.  Marie  Roze's  first  husband  was  Jules  Perkins, 
the  American  basso,  who  died  in  1875.  She  subse- 
quently married  Colonel  Henry  Mapleson,  son  of  Colo- 
nel J.  H.  Mapleson,  late  of  Her  Majesty's  forces  and 
still  later  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre.  I  give  the  senior 
colonel  all  his  titles,  for  he  was  very  particular  about 
them.  He  always  leaned  heavily  upon  Her  Majesty 
and  was  thought  to  resemble  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 
The  young  colonel  not  only  fought  his  wife's  battles, 
but  was  continually  planning  fresh  engagements.  He 
was  also  an  indefatigable  press  agent  for  her.  It  used 
to  be  a  common  saying  among  members  of  the  company 
when  he  came  in  sight :  "  Attons  done !  Voila  Mapleson, 
qui  nous  plante  encore  une  biographic  de  sa  femme"  Many 
were  the  scrimmages  which  he  conducted,  but  the  most 
ludicrous  one  occurred  in  Chicago,  and  I  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  being  a  witness  of  the  movements  and  counter 
movements  as  well  as  the  confidential  recipient  of  the 
statements  both  of  the  Chevalier  and  the  junior  colonel. 
For  the  opening  night  of  the  season  of  1878  "The 
Marriage  of  Figaro"  was  announced,  with  Roze  as 
Susanna  and  Hauck  as  Cherubino.  At  three  o'clock 
that  afternoon  Hauck  went  to  the  theatre  and  pre- 
empted   the   prima   donna's   room    by   depositing    her 


*28l 

^ 

ij 

:'#'■■ 

tir'*^ 

R.      J 

*4  ■■'■- 

n 

O* 

ANOTHER  FAMOUS  EPISODE  103 

things  therein.  An  hour  later  Roze's  maid  reached 
the  theatre  and  proceeded  to  the  same  room  only 
to  find  it  filled  with  the  hated  rival's  traps.  Roze 
notified  the  colonel.  He  was  promptly  on  the  scene 
and  began  operations  by  removing  Hauck's  belong- 
ings to  the  opposite  room  and  instructing  his  wife  to 
be  at  the  theatre  precisely  at  six.  At  half-past  five, 
however,  Hauck  sent  the  Chevalier  to  the  theatre  to 
see  that  everything  was  right.  The  Chevalier  found 
that  everything  was  not  right  and  ordered  Roze's  be- 
longings removed,  replaced  his  wife's,  and  had  every- 
thing, including  the  door,  stoutly  locked.  At  six  Roze 
arrived  prepared  "to  hold  the  fort,"  but  as  she  couldn't 
get  into  the  fort  to  hold  it  she  sent  for  the  colonel,  who 
sent  for  a  locksmith,  who  opened  up.  Hauck's  things 
were  unceremoniously  bundled  out.  At  half-past  six 
Hauck  came  to  the  room  to  dress,  and  much  to  her 
surprise  and  to  the  Chevalier's  chagrin  Roze  was  in 
there  calmly  dressing.  What  passed  between  them 
probably  no  one  will  ever  know,  but  Hauck  went  back 
to  the  Palmer  House  and  notified  Strakosch  she  would 
not  sing  that  evening.  The  Chevalier  was  promptly 
on  hand  to  explain  why,  and  the  colonel  to  wonder 
why  not.  The  volatile  Max  went  into  spasms,  as  was 
his  wont.  It  would  not  do  to  put  off  the  opera,  it 
was  too  late  to  change  it;  so  the  opera  began  without 
Cherubino,  Strakosch  meanwhile  wrestling  with  Hauck 
and  at  last  persuading  her  to  change  her  mind.  She 
finally  went  to  the  theatre,  appeared  when  the  opera 
was  half  through,  suitable  excuses  having  been  in- 
vented, and  glared  at  Susanna  until  the  final  curtain, 


104  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

and  then  —  but  a  veil  must  be  drawn.     One  can  only 
say  with  Virgil : 

"  Can  such  deep  hate  find  place  in  breasts  divine?  " 

Both  the  ladies  were  great  favorites.  Minnie  Hauck 
was  a  pretty  woman  with  fine  eyes,  an  excellent  singer, 
and  an  actress  both  vigorous  and  vivacious,  though  now 
and  then  she  would  lapse,  as  once  in  the  chamber  scene 
in  "  Sonnambula,"  when  she  actually  fell  asleep  and 
was  only  roused  by  the  shouts  of  the  villagers.  Her 
finest  parts  were  Amina  in  this  opera,  Katharine  in 
Goetz's  "  Taming  of  the  Shrew,"  and  Carmen.  Her 
belligerent  disposition  and  pluckiness  in  action  may 
perhaps  be  traced  to  the  fact  that  most  of  her  young 
life  was  spent  in  Kansas. 

Marie  Roze,  on  the  other  hand,  was  amiable,  good- 
natured,  and  kindly  disposed,  and  an  unusually  beau- 
tiful woman.  Her  Aida,  Helen  of  Troy  in  Boito's 
"  Mefistofele,"  and  Marguerite  (though  she  was  a 
somewhat  stout  Gretchen)  were  a  joy  to  the  eye. 
Her  embonpoint  was  now  and  then  embarrassing.  In 
"Mignon"  Tom  Karl  rushed  into  the  burning  house 
to  save  her,  but  was  unable  to  carry  her.  Gottschalk, 
who  was  something  of  an  athlete,  came  to  the  rescue 
and  succeeded.  She  had  a  very  agreeable  mezzo- 
soprano  voice,  and  she  had  been  well  trained ;  and  while 
not  an  artist  in  the  grand  style,  it  was  always  a  pleasure 
to  see  and  hear  her. 

I  must  also  couple  Clara  Louise  Kellogg  and  Annie 
Louise  Cary  together,  for  they  are  two  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful American  singers.    It  may  interest  the  reader 


CLARA  LOUISE  KELLOGG  105 

who  remembers  the  elegant  Kellogg  in  her  palmy  days 
to  know  what  N.  P.  Willis  thought  of  her  when  she  was 
a  girl  of  eighteen.  He  wrote  in  his  "  Home  Journal "  : 
"  She  has  not  only  wondrous  music  in  her  voice  but 
what  music  expresses  in  her  soul.  Mocking-bird  like, 
many  have  the  utterance,  but  few  know  the  full  burthen 
of  what  they  utter."  Kellogg  made  her  debut  in  her 
nineteenth  year  as  Gilda  in  "  Rigoletto,"  enjoyed  twenty 
years  of  success  in  concerts,  Italian  and  English  opera, 
both  in  Europe  and  the  United  States,  and  retired  in 
1882.  She  was  one  of  the  elegant,  aristocratic  ladies 
of  the  stage,  stately  in  manner  and  refined  to  a  degree. 
Her  costumes  were  the  envy  of  the  profession  and  the 
admiration  of  audiences,  for  she  was  always  the  best 
dressed  person  in  the  house.  She  was  a  fascinating 
figure  as  Violetta  or  Filina,  but  sometimes  her  ravishing 
trousseaus  were  a  little  too  fine  for  the  characters,  for 
Kellogg  was  bent  upon  having  them  all  "  walk  in  silk 
attire."  She  had  a  voice  of  great  compass  and  beautiful 
quality,  somewhat  like  Patti's,  and  her  singing  was  al- 
ways refined,  free  from  mannerisms,  and  marked  by 
grace  and  ease.  I  do  not  remember  to  have  heard  a 
more  perfect  piece  of  vocal  artistry  than  her  singing  of 
the  "  Mignon  "  polacca.  Indeed,  it  almost  seemed  as  if 
the  composer  must  have  had  her  in  mind,  so  perfectly 
was  it  fitted  to  her  style. 

Kellogg  had  other  qualities  besides  the  musical.  She 
was  a  good  financier,  made  a  good  deal  of  money  and 
invested  it  well.  She  was  also  a  smart  impresario,  and 
for  a  time  had  an  opera  troupe  of  her  own,  which  she 
managed  with  great  success,  the  operas  being  given  in 


106  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

English.  The  troupe  included  Van  Zandt,  Montague, 
Zelda  Seguin,  Castle,  Maas,  Carleton,  Hamilton,  Peakes, 
and  Conly.  Maas,  a  good  actor  with  a  beautiful  tenor 
voice,  had  an  amusing  experience  upon  one  occasion.  He 
was  of  light  weight,  while  Kellogg  was  of  generous  size. 
They  were  singing  together  in  "  Trovatore,"  and  in  a 
scene  where  Leonora  makes  a  passionate  rush  to  embrace 
Manrico,  the  little  tenor,  unable  to  withstand  her  mo- 
mentum, was  upset.  Some  of  these  sudden  stage  upsets 
are  very  funny.  I  remember  seeing  Gazzaniga  start 
from  the  back  to  the  front  of  the  stage  in  the  most 
impressive  manner,  with  eyes  uplifted  and  arms  up- 
raised, to  sing  her  aria,  and  when  halfway  there,  sit 
squarely  down  with  a  "  thud  "  anything  but  "  dull." 
Whatever  it  was  that  tripped  her,  it  brought  her  down 
as  well  as  the  house. 

Kellogg  preserved  her  fine  singing  quality  to  the  last 
and  had  the  good  sense  to  retire  before  vocal  impair- 
ment or  age  compelled  her  to  do  so.  She  was  very  for- 
tunate all  through  her  career,  but  much  of  her  good 
fortune  was  due  to  her  mother,  a  shrewd,  sensible 
woman,  who  fairly  adored  her.  She  took  the  best 
of  care  of  her  and  her  voice,  went  to  the  theatre  with 
her,  and  at  the  close  of  the  performance  was  ready  with 
her  wraps,  and  guarded  her  against  draughts  all  the 
way  back  to  the  hotel.  She  prepared  her  food  for  her 
and  saw  that  it  was  nourishing.  She  was  equally  care- 
ful of  her  at  functions,  for  her  daughter  was  a  great 
favorite  in  society.  She  never  made  herself  obnoxious 
to  managers  and  never  disagreed  with  them.  She 
simply  stood  between  her  daughter  and  all  disagreeable 


Clara  Louise  Kellogg 
In  "La  Trariata'" 


ANNIE  LOUISE  CARY  107 

things,  so  that  the  latter  was  absolutely  care  free  and 
not  exposed  to  anything  unpleasant.  There  was  one 
exception  to  this,  however.  She  and  Cary  were  once 
naughty  girls,  though  in  reality  they  liked  each  other. 

No  one  could  really  dislike  Cary.  No  one  ever  sang 
herself  deeper  into  the  hearts  of  the  people.  Cary  made 
her  first  appearance  in  Chicago  at  a  concert  in  Farwell 
Hall  in  1870,  and  her  operatic  debut  took  place  three 
years  later,  when  she  appeared  in  "  Aida"  as  Amneris, 
with  Campanini  as  Rhadames.  In  1874  she  also  sang 
the  part  of  Ortrud  in  "  Lohengrin  "  with  great  success, 
in  1879  and  1880  was  a  member  of  Kellogg's  Concert 
Company,  and  a  year  or  two  later  sang  with  Gerster. 
Indeed,  what  did  she  not  sing  ?  Operatic  roles  from 
Amneris  to  Nancy  in  "  Martha  " ;  oratorios,  ballads,  in 
Handel  and  Haydn  concerts ;  and  in  all  the  big  Cincin- 
nati festivals  until  she  retired  in  1882  and  married. 
She  had  a  noble  contralto  voice  of  violoncello  quality 
and  a  free  and  facile  manner  of  singing  which  appealed 
to  every  one.  She  appeared  at  home  on  the  stage, 
though  she  once  told  me  that  she  often  suffered  from 
stage  fright,  and  she  was  at  home  with  her  audiences, 
for  she  was  fairly  radiant  with  kindly  good  humor, 
though  she  never  carried  familiarity  too  far.  She  was 
simply  a  Maine  girl,  fond  of  neighbors  wherever  she 
found  them.  She  was  democratic  and  unconventional, 
and  her  friendly,  sonorous  "  Hello  "  was  but  the  expres- 
sion of  her  warm,  sunny  nature.  She  was  as  unlike 
the  popular  conception  of  an  operatic  artist  as  it  is  pos- 
sible to  imagine.  Prima  donnas  are  not  usually  hail 
fellows  well  met.     They  do  not  carry  their  sewing  on 


108  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

the  trains.  They  do  not  mingle  with  people.  They 
do  not  give  you  a  stout  grip  of  the  hand.  They 
do  not  break  out  into  sunbursts  of  smiles  or  resound- 
ing laughs,  or  send  wireless  despatches  to  friends 
in  the  audience.  Once  Cary  went  to  an  Illinois  town 
to  sing  and  had  to  put  up  at  an  inferior  hotel.  The 
room  to  which  she  was  assigned  was  not  clean.  The 
windows  were  dingy.  It  was  forlorn  and  uncomfort- 
able, but  it  was  the  best  room  in  the  house.  She  ordered 
the  maid  who  showed  her  up  to  bring  a  broom,  a  pail  of 
water,  and  a  mop,  and  help  her  clean  up.  In  a  short 
time  the  room  had  undergone  a  change  into  u  something 
rich  and  strange,"  and  Cary,  feeling  relieved,  for  she 
could  not  abide  dirt,  sat  down  with  her  knitting  and 
awaited  the  hour  for  the  concert.  Strakosch,  when  her 
manager,  paid  her  a  high  compliment  by  declaring  that, 
well  or  sick,  she  was  always  ready  to  go  on  and  do  her 
best.  She  could  sing  every  night  and  never  complained 
when  suddenly  called  upon.  "  She  is  a  jewel !  "  said 
Strakosch. 

The  trouble  between  Cary  and  Kellogg,  to  which  I 
have  alluded,  was  not  very  serious.  It  occurred  on  a 
trip  to  San  Francisco.  The  first  spat  was  about  a  ca- 
denza in  which  Kellogg  was  a  little  tangled.  Cary  said 
that  Kellogg  broke  down,  and  Kellogg  declared  that 
Cary  broke  down.  She  said  she  ought  to  know  that 
cadenza,  as  she  had  sung  it  scores  of  times.  Cary  in- 
sisted that  she  sang  it  right,  and  Kellogg  insisted  that 
she  did  n't,  and  which  of  the  two  was  right  or  wrong  no 
one  knows  to  this  day.  The  audience  supposed  both 
were  right,  as  it  did  n't  know  anything  about  it  anyway. 


Annie  Louise  Cary 


MATERNA  AND   LEHMANN  109 

Then  they  had  a  radical  difference  of  opinion  about 
car  ventilation.  Kellogg  wanted  the  car  warm,  Cary 
wanted  it  cold.  If  it  were  too  warm,  Cary  would  go 
to  the  back  platform,  sit  on  a  campstool,  and  leave  the 
door  open.  "Why,"  said  Kellogg  to  me,  "I  had  to 
have  a  curtain  put  up  so  as  to  keep  from  freezing,  and 
would  you  believe  it  ?  she  slept  all  that  night  with  the 
ventilators  open.     She  did,  really  !  " 

I  think  the  cadenza  and  car  ventilation  were  the  most 
serious  troubles  in  Cary's  long  and  happy  career.  Per- 
haps it  is  not  too  late  for  Mrs.  Raymond  and  Mrs. 
Strakosch  even  now  to  get  together  and  settle  those  two 
problems.  They  might  regard  them  more  dispassion- 
ately and  from  a  broader  point  of  view. 

I  must  close  this  chapter  of  memories  with  some  ref- 
erence to  the  two  great  Wagner  singers,  Materna  and 
Lehmann.  Materna,  who  made  her  Chicago  debut  in 
1882,  presents  a  singular  study  in  musical  evolution,  for 
she  began  singing  in  Offenbach  and  Suppe  roles.  Then 
she  entered  upon  grand  opera  via  "  Don  Giovanni "  and 
"  L' Africaine,"  and  at  last  became  Wagner's  chosen 
Briinhilde  and  the  creator  of  his  Kundry,  and  was  iden- 
tified with  his  music-dramas  until  her  retirement  in 
1897.  Her  voice  was  admirably  adapted  to  the  delivery 
of  the  Wagner  music  by  reason  of  its  breadth  and 
power,  and  her  personations  were  effective  because  of  her 
thorough  study  of  the  parts  with  the  composer  *  and 

*  In  the  above  connection  I  cannot  refrain  from  adding  this  charac- 
teristic story  of  Materna  and  Cosima  Wagner,  now  going  the  rounds  of  the 
German  papers.  Madame  Wagner  insisted  upon  her  ideas  of  interpreta- 
tion in  certain  passages,  Materna  combated    them,     i'l  learned    these 


110  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

her  noble,  passionate  style  of  declamation,  as  well 
as  of  her  dignified,  stately,  and  impressive  personal 
appearance. 

Lilli  Lehmann  has  only  recently  retired  from  the 
stage,  and  is  now  teaching  in  Germany.  Her  voice  was 
one  of  great  beauty  as  well  as  power  and  flexibility,  and 
her  magnetic  influence  so  strong  that  many  who  went 
to  scoff  at  Wagner  returned  converted.  Her  persona- 
tions were  so  informed  with  emotional  power  that  few 
could  resist  their  spell.  She  was  a  singer  possessed  not 
alone  of  a  beautiful  voice,  fluent  technic,  and  most  en- 
gaging presence,  but  of  the  rare  power  of  impressing 
the  listener  with  the  beauty  of  the  Wagner  conceptions 
and  the  dramatic  quality  of  his  music.  I  have  often 
thought  that  there  should  be  some  subtle  connection  be- 
tween the  song  and  the  singer,  and  that  music  would  be 
more  noble  if  sung  by  a  person  of  noble  character ;  but 
this  is  not  always  the  case.  It  was  true,  however,  in 
Lilli  Lehmann's  case,  for  she  was  a  woman  of  rare  love- 
liness, kindliness,  and  nobility.  Surely  I  can  offer  no 
better  illustration  of  this  than  the  following  letter,  which 
she  wrote  to  the  "  Chicago  Tribune  "  during  her  last  visit 
to  America,  making  an  appeal  for  kindly  treatment  of 
the  animals  in  the  Lincoln  Park  Zoo,  and  which  is  printed 
here  verbatim  et  literatim : 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  cannot  go  out  of  the  country  without  to 
leave  you  a  kind  of  Testament.  10  years  ago  I  wrote  to  the 
Park  and  Fooddeparteinent  to  gave  the  foxes  and  wolves 

things  from  the  master  himself,"  she  said  finally,  thinking  it  would  close 
the  incident.  It  failed,  however,  for  quick  as  a  flash  Madame  Wagner  re- 
torted:   "  Poor  Richard  did  n't  always  know  himself  what  he  wanted." 


LEHMANN'S  PLEA  FOR  THE  ANIMALS  111 

boxes  where  to  lay  in  the  night,  because  every  animal  has  his 
nightquarter  made  by  himself,  and  I  consider  it  as  a  cruelty 
of  highest  unconscience  to  keep  what  animal  ever  25-30  years 
in  a  small  cage  without  place  to  take  exercise,  no  place  to 
stay  or  lay  warm,  without  any  protection  against  storm,  rain, 
snow  or  heat.  It  is  to  terrible  to  think  of  it,  that  I  could 
despair  nearly.  I  have  told  this  man,  Mr.  De  Vry,  10  years 
before  I  told  him  now.  The  park  is  large  enough  to  make 
some  large  houses  and  to  put  boxes  in  of  lumber  for  theyr 
night  quarters. 

I  was  yesterday  to  see  the  Bronx  park  in  New  York. 
There  all  the  animals  have  large  Places  to  walk,  and  there 
is  no  one  who  takes  his  house  with  straw  fillet  up.  They  are 
unhappy  enough  to  be  unfree,  and  if  we  take  them  theyr  lib- 
erty, we  at  least  must  give  them  all  everybody  needs. 

Please  to  make  up  this  question  in  your  paper,  and  dont 

stop  till  the  RICH  Chicago  has  given  to  some  foxes,  wolves 

and  other  animals  who  in  theyr  distress  and  unhappiness  must 

give  pleasure  to  the  wwhuman  people. 

Very  sincerely, 

Lilli  Lehmann  Kalisch, 

K.  K.  Kamersangerin. 
Nethebland  Hotel. 


CHAPTER  IX 
MORE    FOOTLIGHT   FAVORITES 

ANNE  BISHOP'S  LONG  CAREER  —  FABBRI  AND  "THE  STAR-SPAN- 
GLED BANNER"  —  FREZZOLINI'S  VANITY  —  PICCOLOMINI, 
THE  FASCINATING  IMPOSTOR  —  HER  FAREWELL  —  DI  MUR- 
SKA  —  HER  CADENZAS  AND  MENAGERIE  —  EMMA  ABBOTT'S 
CAREER  —  ALBANI,  THE  "CHAMBLY  GIRL  "  —  BURMEISTER 
AND   OTHERS 

AS  memory  reverts  to  the  past,  a  long  succession 
/-%  of  singers  comes  into  review,  —  good,  bad,  and 
indifferent.  I  can  only  single  out  a  few  of  the 
best,  for  their  name  is  Legion.  Anne  Bishop  wellnigh 
belongs  to  ancient  history.  She  antedated  Jenny  Lind 
in  this  country,  for  she  sang  in  New  York  in  1847.  She 
was  the  wife  of  Sir  Henry  Bishop,  the  English  com- 
poser, but  as  he  would  not  consent  to  her  singing  in 
public,  she  eloped  with  Bochsa,  the  famous  harpist,  so 
that  she  might  have  the  opportunity  she  desired,  and 
then  she  kept  on  singing  almost  forever  and  a  day. 
The  dates  are  somewhat  startling,  —  birth,  1814  ;  debut, 
1831 ;  still  singing  in  1884,  when  she  was  seventy,  and 
not  ceasing  until  death  retired  her  in  the  same  year. 
She  first  appeared  in  Chicago  in  1851,  with  Sanquirico, 
basso ;  Lavinia  Bandini,  violinist ;  and  Bochsa,  harpist. 
No  one  can  doubt  her  versatility  and  industry  when 
they  read  one  of  her  programmes  of  that  season,  which 
testifies  that  she  sang  on  the   same  evening  "  Casta 


Anne  Bishop 


FABBRI  AND  "THE  STAR-SPANGLED   BANNER"      113 

Diva,"  "  Sweet  Home,"  "  John  Anderson,  my  Joe," 
"  Coming  thro'  the  Rye,"  an  entire  scena  from  "  Roberto 
Devereux,"  the  mad  scene  from  "  Lucia,"  a  tableau  of 
Mexican  life,  introducing  Mexican  and  Castilian  airs, 
and  "Hail  Columbia,"  which  she  sang  attired  as  the 
Goddess  of  Liberty.  She  was  not  a  great  artist.  Her 
voice  was  not  of  good  quality,  but  she  was  quite  a 
showy  singer,  and  sing  she  would.  So  she  kept  on 
singing  until  "  all  her  lovely  companions  were  faded 
and  gone,"  and  I  have  little  doubt  she  entered  the  golden 
gates  singing. 

Inez  Fabbri  was  another  industrious  and  sensational 
singer,  but  unlike  Bishop,  she  had  a  fine  voice  in  her 
day,  and  audiences  always  went  into  wellnigh  hysterical 
raptures  whenever  she  appeared.  She  too  was  fond  of 
singing  in  character.  It  was  in  1861,  when  the  war 
spirit  was  in  the  air,  that  she  came  to  Chicago,  and 
during  that  season  she  sang  in  Brazilian,  Hungarian, 
and  French  costumes.  Her  most  dazzling  make-up  was 
exhibited  on  Washington's  birthday.  A  full  orchestra 
was  in  attendance.  The  stage  was  decorated  with  flags, 
and  Ellsworth's  Zouaves  went  through  their  evolutions, 
their  handsome  captain  little  dreaming  of  the  personal 
tragedy  so  rapidly  approaching.  At  the  close  of  the 
concert  the  Zouaves  drew  up  in  line,  and  Fabbri  ad- 
vanced as  the  Goddess  of  Liberty,  carrying  a  huge 
flag  which  it  was  all  she  could  do  to  lift.  Bringing 
the  staff  down  upon  the  stage  with  a  bang,  she  rose 
to  her  full  height,  and  with  stentorian  voice  began  the 
National  Hymn,  closing  it  in  this  fashion : 


114  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

"  0  the  shtar  spankelt  panner,  long  may  she  wave 
On  ter  lant  of  ter  free  and  ter  home  of  ter  prave ! " 

The  anniversary  itself,  the  near  approach  of  the 
Civil  War,  the  flamboyant  blare  of  the  orchestra,  and 
the  Goddess'  struggle  with  the  English,  aroused  the 
audience  to  a  pitch  of  patriotic  frenzy. 

Frezzolini,  whose  real  name  was  the  unromantic  one 
of  Poggi,  was  another  extremely  sensational  singer. 
She  didn't  sing  so  long  as  Anne  Bishop,  but  she 
sang  until  the  last  thread  of  voice  was  gone.  She 
was  a  tall  and  rather  elegant-looking  woman  when 
in  repose,  but  the  moment  she  began  singing,  the 
charm  was  gone.  Her  attitude  became  painfully  an- 
gular, and  her  facial  contortions  and  grimaces  were 
distressing.  She  was  an  extremely  vain  woman,  and 
though  handicapped,  as  I  have  stated,  she  sought  in 
every  way  to  attract  admiration.  She  had  had  a 
brilliant  past,  had  been  loaded  with  jewels  and  gifts 
of  various  kinds,  but  ruined  herself  by  her  extraordi- 
nary efforts  to  keep  up  her  fascinations  and  play  a 
part  in  the  gay  world,  and  at  last  died  at  Paris  in 
obscurity  and  poverty.  She  was  past  middle  age 
when  Maurice  Strakosch  introduced  her  to  Chicago. 
She  had  a  voice  of  good  compass,  flexibility,  and 
strength;  but  a  singer  so  conscious  of  herself  and  so 
consumed  with  vanity  could  hardly  be  expected  to 
do  really  artistic  work. 

The  little  Tuscan  singer  Piccolomini  comes  next 
in   my  memory.     Oh,   but   she   was   a   gay   deceiver! 


Marietta  Piccolomim 


PICCOLOMINI,  THE  FASCINATING   IMPOSTOR  115 

She  had  a  weak  voice  of  limited  range  and  ordinary 
flexibility,  sang  out  of  tune  carelessly  or  unconsciously, 
and  with  no  style  at  all.  As  a  matter  of  fact  she 
had  neither  musical  faculty  nor  facility  in  any  marked 
degree.  If  the  music  was  easy,  she  got  along  fairly 
well.  If  it  was  difficult,  she  scrambled  through  it 
the  best  she  could  with  a  most  bewitching  smile  on 
her  pretty  face.  She  was  one  of  the  handsomest, 
most  coquettish,  and  fascinating  of  impostors,  and 
fooled  the  public  to  the  top  of  her  bent,  the  public 
apparently  not  unwilling  to  be  fooled  in  such  a  cap- 
tivating way.  She  was  honest  enough  to  acknowledge 
it  once  by  declaring :  "  They  call  me  little  impostor, 
and  they  give  me  bouquets  and  applauses  and  monies. 
Why  not  be  an  impostor  ? "  Artemus  Ward  rather 
cleverly  took  her  measure,  although  he  knew  little 
about  music,  when  he  wrote :  "  Fassinatin'  people  is 
her  best  holt.  She  was  born  to  make  other  wimmin 
mad  because  they  ain't  Piccolomini."  It  was  her 
youth,  beauty,  piquancy,  and  chic  that  carried  her 
through  and  offset  her  lack  of  talent.  She  even  had 
the  monumental  audacity  to  advertise  a  long  farewell 
to  "  the  American  public "  in  1859.  A  short  extract 
will  do : 

"  I  came  to  this  country  so  proud,  so  free  and  so  charming 
in  its  youth  and  freshness,  with  high  hopes  which  have  been 
more  than  realized.  An  artist  who  is  satisfied  is  a  miracle ; 
so  I  am  a  miracle.  But  perhaps  the  public,  or  a  portion  of 
it,  has  been  dissatisfied.  That  is  not  my  fault.  I  never  pre- 
tended to  divine  genius.  I  would  rather  stay  here  than  go 
to  Europe.  But  one,  even  a  spoiled  girl  and  a  prima  donna 
as  well,  cannot  always  have  her  own  way.     So  I  salute  you 


116  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

all.  I  would  be  charmed  to  do  it  personally,  but  the  country- 
is  so  big  and  the  population  so  immense  I  fear  the  time  would 
not  be  sufficient." 

And  then  the  little  impostor  flitted  away  with  her 
pockets  bursting  with  gold  and  was  never  heard  of 
more. 

Di  Murska,  the  Hungarian,  was  another  fascinating 
though  by  no  means  handsome  little  woman,  who 
made  her  Chicago  debut  in  1874  with  Carreno,  Sau- 
ret,  Ferranti,  Braga  of  the  "Angel's  Serenade,"  and 
Habelman.  She  was  a  music-box  with  endless  possi- 
bilities, and  few  could  excel  her  in  spectacular  vocali- 
zation. She  would  undertake  any  flight,  and  if  it 
were  not  dazzling  enough,  would  add  cadenzas  of  her 
own,  as  she  flew  along,  which  were  the  very  extrava- 
gance of  vocalism.  Her  resources  of  flexibility  and 
range  were  sufficient  for  any  effort,  and  as  she  herself 
was  fearless,  fantastic,  and  eccentric,  nothing  suited  her 
better  than  to  astonish  audiences  with  these  sponta- 
neous outbursts.  She  was  a  bundle  of  eccentricities. 
Her  special  superstition  was  a  golden  belt,  which  she 
always  wore  as  a  surety  of  good  luck.  She  had  an 
inclination  for  marrying,  and  outlived  five  husbands 
of  different  nationalities,  beginning  with  an  Irishman 
and  closing  with  an  American.  She  carried  a  menag- 
erie bigger  than  Lagrange's.  It  included  a  huge  New- 
foundland dog,  an  Angora  cat,  two  or  three  parrots, 
a  chameleon,  and  a  trained  crow.  The  words  De  Vivo, 
her  manager,  used  to  utter,  when  they  were  getting 
ready  to  leave  a  city,  or  when  any  reference  was  made 


Ilma  di   Murska 


EMMA  ABBOTT'S  CAREER  117 

to  Di  Murska's  Zoo,  would  not  look  well  in  print.    And 
De  Vivo  was  not  an  impatient  man  either. 

Emma  Abbott  was  a  good  little  Chicago  girl  who 
piously  resolved,  when  Clara  Louise  Kellogg  and  Dr. 
Chapin's  church  started  her  on  the  road  to  the  stage, 
not  to  sing  in  operas  which  were  improper,  never  to 
appear  in  a  page's  costume,  never  to  sing  on  Sundays, 
and  above  all  not  to  appear  in  the  wicked  "  Traviata." 
She  made  these  resolutions  when  she  was  quite  young, 
just  after  she  had  concertized  with  the  Lumbards,  but 
outgrew  them,  and  ended  by  appearing  in  "  Traviata," 
and  many  other  heterodox  operas,  even  in  some  for  which 
the  "  Abbott  kiss  "  was  specially  invented.  She  was  a 
frequent  visitor  to  Chicago,  her  birthplace,  appearing  in 
concerts,  and  in  Italian  and  English  operas,  as  well  as  in 
some  of  the  Sullivan  operettas.  She  also  must  be  cred- 
ited with  bringing  out  Masse 's  "  Paul  and  Virginia  " 
(they  were  a  handsome  pair,  she  and  Castle,  "  under 
the  sheltering  palm  "),  Guarany's  "  Gem  of  Peru,"  and 
Gounod's  "  Mireille."  She  was  a  slight,  pale-faced, 
sensitive  little  woman,  and  an  indefatigable  worker. 
She  had  a  very  pure,  pleasant  voice,  but  some  of  her 
mannerisms  were  unpleasant.  At  the  outset  her  voice 
was  as  rigid  as  her  determination  to  become  a  singer. 
She  manufactured  a  very  fluent  technic  out  of  this  un- 
bending voice,  by  the  hardest  kind  of  work,  and  richly 
deserved  the  success  which  she  secured  both  in  fame 
and  money. 

Albani  (stage  name  of  Mademoiselle  Lajeunesse,  after- 
wards Madame  Gye)  first  appeared  in  Chicago  in  1875, 


118  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

as  Elsa  in  "  Lohengrin."  She  was  a  very  lovely  looking 
Elsa,  but  it  did  not  seem  to  me  a  great  artistic  perform- 
ance, nor  did  she  appear  at  that  time  thoroughly  in- 
formed with  the  Wagner  spirit,  though  my  recollections 
of  her  performance  of  the  role  may  be  influenced  by 
subsequent  performances  of  the  great  Wagner  artists.  I 
much  preferred  her  in  other  roles  (for  her  repertory  was 
very  large).  She  was  very  successful  in  oratorio  and 
festival  work.  Her  voice  was  rich,  pure,  and  appeal- 
ing, and  there  was  no  lack  of  power.  She  was  born 
and  brought  up  in  an  atmosphere  of  music.  Canada 
was  her  native  country,  and  the  Canadians  are  very 
proud  of  their  "  Chambly  Girl."  * 

I  can  only  briefly  mention  among  others  in  this 
flight  of  song-birds,  Emma  Thursby,  who  was  one  of 
the  most  successful  and  admired  of  American  concert 
singers ;  Ambre,  a  dramatic  singer  of  great  intensity, 
who  fascinated  the  King  of  Holland,  and  Eleanor  Sanz, 
a  handsome  singer  of  no  intensity,  who  fascinated  Al- 
fonso XII  of  Spain ;  Alwina  Valleria,  a  Baltimore  girl, 
who  sang  three  Marguerite  roles  —  Gounod's,  Boito's, 
and  Berlioz's,  —  but  who  was  most  charming  in  English 
opera ;  Marie  Litta,  the  Bloomington,  Illinois,  girl,  whose 
brilliant  promise  was  extinguished  by  her  untimely 
death  ;  Emma  Nevada,  a  showy  singer,  whose  daughter 
is  just  about  to  come  out  in  opera  in  Italy ;  and  pretty 

*  i'An'  w'en  All-ba-nee  was  get  lonesome  for 
travel  all  roun'  de  worl' 
I  hope  she  '11  come  home,  lak  de  bluebird,  an' 
again  be  de  Chambly  girl  1 " 

Drummond's  "  Habitants." 


BURMEISTER  119 

little  Rose  Hersee,  who  sang  so  delightfully  with  Parepa 
in  English  opera,  of  both  of  whom  I  shall  speak  more 
particularly  in  another  chapter. 

And  last,  but  by  no  means  least,  Mademoiselle 
Burmeister,  the  most  faithful,  the  most  conscientious,  the 
most  reliable,  the  most  willing,  and  the  best  equipped  all- 
round  artist  of  them  all  for  every  sort  of  work.  I  think 
her  repertory  must  have  included  the  entire  list  of  modern 
operas,  and  she  was  equally  at  home  in  French,  German, 
or  Italian.  She  was  usually  cast  for  secondary  parts, 
but  she  was  an  understudy  for  the  whole  prima  donna 
establishment,  and  I  am  not  certain  she  could  not  have 
taken  the  tenor  and  bass  roles,  or  led  the  orchestra.  A 
manager  who  had  Burmeister  on  his  salary  list  was  sure 
of  his  announcements,  for  she  could  be  relied  upon  to 
fill  any  vacancy.  She  has  now  retired  from  the  stage 
with  the  respect  and  admiration,  if  not  the  love,  of 
every  one  connected  with  it.  Her  name  did  not  appear 
in  very  large  letters  upon  posters,  nor  was  it  often  ob- 
servable in  newspaper  criticisms,  but  impresarios  will 
look  a  long  time  before  they  find  another  Burmeister. 


CHAPTER  X 

TENORS  AND  BASSOS 

their  comparative  popularity  —  brignoli,  his  style  and 
voice  —  superstitions  and  anecdotes  —  campaninl's 
triumphs  —  jealousy  of  capoul  —  a  bout  with  maple- 
son  —  wachtel,  the  cab-driver  —  old-time  advertis- 
ing curiosities  —  adams,  best  american  tenor  — 
amodio  and  bellini  in  the  "liberty  duet"  —  her- 
mann's interpolation  —  formes  in  concert  and  opera 
—  myron  d.  Whitney's  oratorio  triumphs 

IF  in  recalling  memories  of  operatic  tenors  and  bassos 
it  shall  seem  that  those  of  tenors  have  more  vital 
interest  than  those  of  bassos,  it  can  only  be  ex- 
plained by  the  fact  that  the  tenors  are  the  more  popular 
of  the  two,  and  more  is  known  about  them.  Edouard 
de  Reszke  once  said  that  grand  opera  was  ungrateful  for 
bassos,  that  composers  would  not  write  for  them  and 
the  public  would  n't  pet  them,  and  that  "  all  the  big 
fees  go  to  the  prima  donnas  and  tenors,  while  a  basso 
has  to  worry  along  on  the  pay  of  a  chorus  girl."  This 
is  the  truth.  The  operatic  tenor  lives  in  clover.  All 
the  Elviras  and  Leonoras  love  him.  He  has  all  the 
love  songs  and  serenades  to  sing.  Whatever  stage 
business  there  may  be  in  the  line  of  kneeling  at  the 
feet  of  inamoratas,  kissing  of  hands,  and  embracing 
of  stage  heroines,  belongs  exclusively  to  him.  The 
ladies  send  him  little  billets  and  adore  him  in  secret, 


BRIGNOLI,   HIS  STYLE  AND  VOICE  121 

He  has  the  monopoly  of  all  the  pretty  music  and  may 
sing  it  badly  if  he  is  handsome  and  interesting.  All 
tuneful  lays  are  his.  His  roles  include  the  handsome 
brigands,  the  dashing  cavaliers,  the  romantic  lovers,  and 
languishing  swains.  The  basso,  on  the  contrary,  knows 
that  he  is  not  interesting  and  that  the  ladies  do  not 
care  for  him.  He  has  no  lover  roles.  If  he  is  a  brig- 
and, he  is  a  cutthroat ;  if  a  cavalier,  he  is  some  dilapi- 
dated old  duke ;  if  a  sailor,  he  is  a  pirate ;  if  a  father, 
he  is  an  old  dotard.  He  has  no  bravura  work  cut  out 
for  him,  and  his  arias  are  ponderous  and  often  dreary. 
He  has  little  to  do  but  wander  about  the  stage,  an  ab- 
ject picture  of  vocal  misery  and  dramatic  drudgery. 
Like  the  operatic  contralto,  he  is  a  lonely  person  for 
whom  the  public  little  cares. 

Among  the  tenors  I  have  known,  Brignoli  always 
seemed  to  me  the  most  interesting  personality,  as  well 
as  one  of  the  most  captivating  singers.  He  made 
his  American  debut  in  1856  and  was  a  member  of  the 
first  regular  Italian  opera  troupe  which  appeared  in  Chi- 
cago (1859).  The  season  was  opened  with  "Martha," 
and  Brignoli  was  Lionel.  During  the  next  ten  or 
fifteen  years  he  sang  in  Chicago  almost  every  season, 
either  in  concerts  or  opera,  and  was  a  universal  favorite. 
He  is  said  to  have  been  very  delicate,  as  well  as  timid 
and  nervous,  in  his  early  youth,  but  when  I  first  saw 
him  he  was  robust  and  broad-chested,  and  gradually 
grew  quite  stout,  in  spite  of  which  he  always  carried 
himself  with  a  kind  of  aristocratic  elegance.  He  told 
me  once  that  he  never  wholly  overcame  stage  fright, 


122  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

and  I  fancy  that  his  lack  of  pronounced  dramatic 
ability  and  his  awkwardness  of  gait  may  have  con- 
duced to  it.  If  he  found  himself  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
prima  donna,  he  was  always  nervous,  and  in  scenes  re- 
quiring the  platonic  stage  embrace  he  would  implore 
her  not  to  touch  him.  Brignoli  was  an  indifferent 
actor,  but  he  was  a  master  of  tone-production.  His 
tones  had  a  silvery  quality  and  were  exquisitely  pure. 
He  never  forced  his  voice  beyond  the  limit  of  a  sweet 
musical  tone,  and  rarely  expended  much  effort  except 
in  reaching  a  climax,  or  in  closing  an  aria  with  one 
of  those  marvellously  beautiful  sforzandos  which  other 
tenors  tried  in  vain  to  imitate.  He  never  sang  the 
high  C,  that  stock  in  trade  of  sensational  tenors,  though 
he  could  reach  it  with  ease,  for  he  had  great  range  and 
power  of  voice.  He  used  to  say  that  "  screaming  is  not 
singing ;  let  those  fellows  wear  their  throats  out  if  they 
will;  Brignoli  keep  his."  And  he  did.  His  highest  am- 
bition was  tonal  loveliness,  and  in  this  quality  he  had  few 
equals.  To  hear  him  sing  "M'Appari"  and  "II  mio 
tesoro,"  or  the  music  of  Manrico  and  Edgardo,  was  to 
listen  to  vocalization  of  absolute  beauty,  to  an  exposi- 
tion of  bel  canto  of  the  Italian  romantic  school  as  perfect 
for  a  tenor  as  was  Adelina  Patti's  for  a  soprano. 

Brignoli  was  curiously  superstitious.  He  never  would 
undertake  a  journey  on  Friday,  and  always  timed  his 
trips  so  as  not  to  arrive  on  that  day.  The  thirteenth 
day  of  the  month,  thirteen  persons  at  table,  or  any- 
thing else  related  to  these  numerals,  always  frightened 
him.  He  was  a  famous  cook  and  salad  maker,  but  if 
his  macaroni  stock  boiled  over  or  he  spilled  a  drop  of 


P.  Brignoli 


BRIGNOLFS  SUPERSTITIONS  123 

oil  in  making  a  salad,  he  was  certain  some  misfortune 
would  happen.  He  carried  a  deer's  head  with  him  for 
a  mascot,  and  used  to  talk  and  sing  to  it.  At  night  he 
would  place  it  on  the  window-sill  to  insure  good  weather 
for  the  next  day,  in  case  he  was  to  sing.  If  the  day 
opened  brightly,  he  would  congratulate  his  mascot ;  but 
if  it  opened  cloudy  and  threatening  storm,  he  would  pick 
it  up,  box  its  ears,  uttering  Italian  maledictions  at  the 
same  time,  and  then  not  speak  to  it  for  a  day  or  two. 
He  also  had  a  superstition  about  the  color  of  horses, 
and  always  stipulated  that  his  carriage  should  be  drawn 
by  a  pair  of  black  horses,  and,  as  another  sign  of  good 
luck,  that  his  manager  should  wait  upon  him  before  he 
started  for  the  theatre.  He  was  of  a  generous  disposi- 
tion, —  too  generous,  indeed,  for  his  own  good,  —  and 
would  divide  his  money  with  any  one.  He  made  a 
handsome  fortune  in  this  country,  but  lived  at  such  an 
extravagant  rate,  and  flung  away  money  so  lavishly, 
that  he  died  penniless.  He  once,  and  only  once,  made 
a  speech  to  an  audience.  As  there  was  no  other  person 
available  on  that  occasion,  he  was  requested  by  Nilsson 
to  go  before  the  curtain  and  tell  the  audience  that  she 
was  slightly  indisposed.  After  a  while  he  plucked  up 
courage  and  made  the  following  oration : 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen  !  Mademoiselle  Nilsson  is  a 
leetle  'orse,  and  begs  you  —  a  —  indulge  —  ance  —  a." 

As  the  audience  manifested  some  surprise,  Brignoli 
began  again: 

"  Vat !  you  do  no  understand  it.  Then,  I  begin 
again.  Mademoiselle  Nilsson  is  a  little  horse  and  begs 
your  kind  indulgence." 


124  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

This  time  he  retired  amid  applause  and  laughter  only 
to  be  again  confused  when  Nilsson  asked  him  why  he 
had  called  her  a  pony.  Brignoli  could  only  throw  up 
his  hands  in  despair.  He  never  ventured  to  make  an 
address  again. 

Before  taking  vocal  lessons  he  had  studied  the  piano 
and  composed  some  pieces  for  that  instrument.  One 
of  them,  the  march,  to  which  I  alluded  in  a  previous 
chapter,  was  quite  sensational.  It  was  called  "  The 
Crossing  of  the  Danube."  The  introduction,  which 
imitated  the  booming  of  cannon,  volleys  of  musketry, 
and  cavalry  bugle-calls,  led  up  to  the  march,  which 
contained  vivid  reminiscences  of  Verdi  and  Meyerbeer, 
and  the  piece  closed  with  a  climax,  based  upon  the 
Russian  National  Hymn,  after  the  manner  of  Tschai- 
kovsky's  "  1812 "  overture.  I  think  he  told  me  he 
wrote  his  march  for  Gilmore.  In  any  event,  it  was  in 
the  style  which  Patrick  Sarsfield  greatly  loved. 

Brignoli's  last  public  appearance  in  Chicago  was  in  a 
concert  at  Hershey  Hall  in  May,  1884.  He  was  in  the 
city  again  in  September  of  that  year.  He  had  retired 
from  the  stage,  but  at  a  social  visit  he  surprised  his 
friends  as  he  entered  by  singing  "  Then  you  '11  remem- 
ber me  "  with  much  of  his  old-time  beauty  of  voice. 
At  that  time  he  was  hoping  to  establish  a  school  in  the 
near  future  for  the  perpetuation  of  his  method  of  vocal- 
ization, but  the  hope  was  never  realized.  A  day  or  two 
later  I  met  him  walking  pensively  on  State  Street,  and 
we  stopped  and  spoke  together.  Patti  was  then  sing- 
ing at  McVicker's  Theatre,  and  was  billed  to  appear  in 
"Lucia"  that  evening.     I  asked  him  if  he  was  going 


CAMPANINI'S  TRIUMPHS  125 

to  the  opera.  He  mournfully  shook  his  head  and  ex- 
claimed :  "No!  I  cannot  afford  it,  and  I  will  not  ask 
them  for  a  pass.  I  sang  in  '  Lucia '  with  Adelina  when 
she  made  her  debut.  To-night  she  must  transpose  her 
part.  Old  Brignoli  can  still  sing  his  where  it  is  written. 
Adelina  gets  $5000  a  night;  old  Brignoli  gets  fifty 
cents."  We  shook  hands  and  parted.  Some  friends 
helped  him  get  to  New  York,  where  he  died  a  few 
weeks  later.  In  his  death  one  of  the  purest  and  most 
perfect  exponents  of  beautiful  melody  passed  away. 

Italo  Campanini,  son  of  an  Italian  blacksmith,  inher- 
ited his  father's  brawn.  He  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the 
natural,  elemental  man,  and  there  was  much  of  this 
quality  in  his  singing,  for  his  lungs  were  capable  of 
almost  any  effort,  and  his  throat  was  equal  to  any 
requisition  made  upon  it ;  but,  great  singer  as  he  was, 
there  were  times  when  he  sacrificed  musical  effect  to 
mere  noise.  He  had  an  astonishing  vigor,  virility,  and 
energy.  His  best  parts  were  Rhadames  in  "  Ai'da  "  and 
Don  Jose  in  "  Carmen,"  though  he  ventured  once  into 
Wagner's  musical  domain  and  achieved  great  success  in 
"  Lohengrin."  In  "  Carmen  "  he  reached  the  maximum 
of  his  power.  In  the  scene  before  the  Plaza  del  Toros, 
in  the  last  act,  he  threw  himself  into  the  passion  of  the 
part  with  ferocious  energy,  and  made  the  tragic  denoue- 
ment one  of  the  most  thrilling  scenes  I  have  ever  wit- 
nessed on  the  operatic  stage.  I  know  of  no  personation 
like  it  except  the  elder  Salvini's  Othello  in  the  scene 
where  he  vents  his  rage  upon  Iago.  The  part  was 
admirably  adapted  to  him  physically,  musically,  and 


126  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

dramatically.  In  all  parts  requiring  the  display  of  brutal 
passion  he  had  few  equals.  Campanini  also  did  some 
festival  work,  but  when  he  sang  in  oratorio  numbers  or 
concerted  pieces  he  was  not  always  satisfactory,  for  he 
lacked  self-control  and  subordination,  and  sometimes 
dominated  the  situation  at  the  expense  of  the  other 
singers  by  singing  at  the  audience  in  the  most  stento- 
rian manner.  Theodore  Thomas,  under  whose  baton 
he  sung  at  times,  vigorously  remonstrated  with  him 
once  about  this  habit.  Campanini  asserted  himself  in 
his  imperious  way,  but  Thomas  was  not  a  man  to  be 
swerved  from  his  purposes  when  in  his  own  field.  I 
was  witness  of  one  of  these  encounters,  at  the  close  of 
which  Campanini  had  to  yield,  but  he  was  honest 
enough  to  acknowledge  to  me  afterwards  that  Thomas 
was  right. 

Campanini  was  a  good-hearted  man.  His  worst  fail- 
ings were  personal  vanity,  a  furious  temper,  and  impa- 
tience under  correction.  He  was  also  of  a  jealous 
disposition,  and  this  jealousy  manifested  itself  once  in 
a  ludicrous  manner.  He  had  had  some  unpleasantness 
with  Capoul,  who  was  as  vain  as  a  peacock,  and  espe- 
cially vain  of  his  accomplishments  as  a  tenor  lover  on 
the  stage,  particularly  in  "  Faust."  Upon  one  occasion, 
when  Capoul  had  secured  the  admiring  attention  of  the 
audience  by  his  realistic  love-making  in  the  garden 
scene  of  that  opera,  Campanini,  in  the  stage  box, 
conducted  himself  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  him- 
self the  centre  of  attraction  and  spoil  the  effect  of 
the  scene.  Capoul  declared  after  that  he  would  never 
sing   if    Campanini   were   allowed  to  be  present,  and 


> 
s 


H 

a 

H 
O 

O 


I       3 


r  W^  '•^■^ 

3>                           ^                          -««C,^      .^***^fe^&U. 

^K  ^™  «qpr  ^^^^fc^ 

Sl^^ 

"^M^     ~*fc 

A  BOUT  WITH  MAPLESON  127 

Campanini  declared  he  would  not  sing  if  he  were  not 
permitted  to  be  in  the  house  at  any  and  all  times.  The 
jealousy  between  the  two  was  all  the  sillier  because  no 
comparison  between  the  two  men  as  tenors  was  pos- 
sible. Upon  another  occasion  Campanini  had  an  en- 
counter with  Mapleson,  Senior,  in  which  he  worsted  the 
doughty  Colonel,  —  a  feat  not  often  performed.  He 
appeared  one  morning  at  rehearsal  with  four  trum- 
peters, who  were  to  produce  a  certain  effect  which  the 
conductor  did  not  favor.  When  in  good  form,  Cam- 
panini could  hold  his  own  even  with  four  trumpets. 
Mapleson  at  once  took  his  conductor's  part  and  said 
to  Campanini, — 

"Why  are  you  interfering  here?  I  am  the  man- 
ager." 

Campanini  replied,  "  Well,  I  am  first  tenor  here." 

Mapleson  then  said,  "  You  were  not  called  to  rehearsal 
anyway.     What  business  have  you  to  be  here  ?  " 

To  this  Campanini  answered,  "  I  know  my  business 
better  than  you  do  yours";  and  evidently  he  did,  for  the 
four  trumpeters  played  that  evening  and  Campanini  had 
his  shout. 

I  heard  Mario  twice  only.  It  was  in  1872,  not  long 
after  Chicago's  great  fire,  and  he  sang  in  churches,  which 
were  the  only  concert-rooms  available  at  the  time,  with 
Carlotta  Patti,  Annie  Louise  Cary,  Carreno,  Sauret,  and 
Scolari,  the  basso.  He  had  only  the  ghost  of  a  voice 
left,  but  he  retained  his  method  in  all  its  beauty  and 
perfection.  His  voice  was  really  in  hopeless  ruin,  but 
his  singing  showed  still  the  fine  school  of  the  old  days. 


128  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

It  was  mournfully  suggestive  of  the  great  Mario  of  the 

past,  — 

4 '  Mario  can  soothe  with  a  tenor  note 
The  soul  from  purgatory," 

but  perhaps  it  was  an  object-lesson  to  some  tenors  who 
thought  they  knew  how  to  sing. 

Theodor  Wachtel,  a  tenor  who  could  tear  passion  into 
tatters,  was  the  son  of  a  German  stable-keeper,  and  in 
his  youth  drove  cabs  for  his  father.  The  significance 
of  his  occupation  will  be  apparent  later  on.  He  was 
the  most  robust  of  robust  tenors,  and  his  capacity  for 
shouting  was  seemingly  unlimited.  He  could  even 
shout  down  a  chorus,  and  that  is  no  ordinary  feat.  He 
always  carried  his  high  C  with  him,  and  would  exhibit 
it  several  times  of  an  evening  without  displaying  a  sign 
of  vocal  fatigue.  But  at  last  he  met  his  Waterloo  in 
Chicago.  He  appeared  at  the  Globe  Theatre,  supported 
by  Lichtmay,  Canissa,  DeGebele,  Hermanns,  Vierling, 
Franosch,  and  others,  in  February,  1872.  That  was  the 
first  musical  event  of  any  importance  after  the  Great  Fire. 
The  operas  announced  were  "  Martha,"  "  Huguenots," 
u  Trovatore,"  and  "  The  Postilion  of  Lonjumeau."  The 
manager's  announcement  of  the  season  is  such  a  curi- 
osity of  bombast  that  I  give  it  entire. 

"Wachtel,  Wachtel,  Wachtel! 
"  The  Great,  the  Magnetic  Tenor  ! ! 

"  The  famous  German  tenor  whose  phenomenal  and  mag- 
nificent voice  flows  like  the  Rhine  itself,  turbulent,  restless, 
through  all  the  storied  tracts  of  music.  A  magnificent  foun- 
tain, meant,  as  the  poet  has  intimated,  to  flow  on  forever. 
The  princely  haste  of  a  lyric  monarch  commissioned  to  sound 


WACHTEL,  THE  CAB-DRIVER  129 

his  natural  gifts  to  all  the  world  and  with  only  one  lifetime 
to  accomplish  his  purpose."  * 

But  I  must  return  to  Wachtel.  His  crowning  tri- 
umph was  in  "  The  Postilion  of  Lonjumeau,"  and  his 
crowning  number  was  the  rondo,  or  Postilion's  Song. 
He  shouted  his  high  notes  in  the  manner  of  one  hailing 
a  deaf  cabby,  and  the  whip-snapping  accompaniment 
was  delivered  with  the  skill  of  an  expert  Jehu.  The 
pace  told  upon  him  at  last.  After  ten  years  of  the 
operatic  cab  business  his  throat  gave  out.  "  Martha  " 
and  "  The  Huguenots  "  were  cancelled.  The  doctor  gave 
him  a  laryngitis  certificate  and  told  him  a  change  of 
climate  would  be  necessary  for  his  recovery.  Thus 
ended  the  first  "  after  the  fire  "  operatic  season.  With 
all  his  bluster  and  pomposity  he  had  a  fine  vein  of 
sentiment.  Shortly  after  this  time  he  resumed  sing- 
ing, and  one  evening  a  telegram  was  brought  to  him 
between   acts,    announcing  the  death  of  his   son.     He 

*  The  above  is  certainly  literary  gorgeousness.  It  was  a  time,  how- 
ever, of  advertising  efflorescence,  and  managers  competed  with  each  other 
in  the  verbal  display  of  their  attractions.  Just  before  the  fire  the  Swiss 
Bell  Ringers  were  announced  as 

THE  CAMPANALOGIANS. 

Marvellous  Heterogeniconsolidatoire,  received 
everywhere  by  intelligent  audiences,  sanctioned 
by  the  clergy,  indorsed  by  the  press  and  people. 

On  the  same  day  the  billboards  bore  the  following  emblazonment: 

SPALDING,   ROGERS,   AND   HANLON'S  CIRCUS. 

WITH  iEROPALITIC  MIRACLES,  ZAMPILG3ROSTRATION, 
l'echille  PERILEUSE,  AND  THE  QUADRUPLE  ANABATH- 
RON  PERFORMED  BY  A  QUARTETTE  OP  ACROBATIC  BRAVES, 
WITH  ENLIVENING  INTERLUDES  TO  RELIEVE  HIGHLY 
WROUGHT   SENSIBILITIES. 

9 


130  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

finished  the  opera,  and  at  the  end  of  the  last  act  inter- 
polated the  song,  "  Gute  Nacht,  mein  herzliches  Kind  " 
(Good  night,  my  dearest  child). 

Charles  R.  Adams,  the  American  tenor,  was  in  Chi- 
cago during  the  late  fifties,  both  in  opera  and  oratorio. 
He  was  the  most  accomplished  native  tenor  of  his  time, 
and  had  not  merely  a  very  powerful  voice,  but  a  very 
sweet  one  and  one  of  great  range.  He  sang  with  dra- 
matic expression  and  a  peculiarly  refined  and  artistic 
finish.  His  Tannhauser  and  Lohengrin  had  made  him  a 
famous  reputation  both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe, 
and  the  oratorio  performances  given  by  the  Chicago 
Musical  Union,  with  Christine  Nilsson  and  himself  as 
soloists,  were  events  to  be  remembered.  I  believe  he 
ended  his  career  as  a  teacher  in  Boston.  Like  some  of 
our  American  composers,  Dudley  Buck  and  Professor 
Paine,  for  instance,  Adams  was  better  known  in  Ger- 
many than  in  his  own  country. 

I  have  space  to  mention  only  a  few  more  tenors, 
among  them  Irfre,  who  sang  as  if  inspired  in  the  Lucia 
sextet  * ;  Lotti,  a  German  tenor  di  grazia,  whose  singing 
of  "  Meinen  Engel !  nenn'  Ich  mein,"  was  transporting  ; 
Alvary,  whose  Siegfried  was  the  ideal  of  immortal 
youth ;  Candidus,  the  big  German  tenor,  whom  I  first 
met  at  a  New  York  Arion  and  Chicago  Germania  Man- 
nerchor  Commerz,  and  whose  voice  was  as  big  and  fine 
as  himself ;  Capoul,  whom  Campanini  did  not  love  and 

*  Theodore  Thomas  held  that  the  "  Lucia  "  sextet  and  the  "  Rigoletto  " 
quartet  were  the  inspirations  of  Italian  opera. 


AMODIO  AND  BELLINI  131 

whom  the  women  adored,  a  dapper  little  French  tenor, 
graduated  from  the  Opera  Comique ;  Habelman,  hand- 
some and  sweet- voiced,  a  good,  all-round  musician  and 
capital  actor,  whose  Fra  Diavolo  was  one  of  the  most 
dashing  and  picturesque  figures  on  the  stage ;  and  De 
Lucia.  Can  any  one  forget  the  ring  of  De  Lucia's  pierc- 
ing voice  and  the  intensity  of  simulated  passion  with 
which  he  delivered  the  last  despairing  outcry  of  Canio, 
in  "  Pagliacci  "  ("  La  commedia  e  finita  ")  ? 

For  reasons  already  stated  I  can  only  briefly  allude 
to  the  great  bassos  of  memory.  One  of  the  earliest 
was  Colletti,  whose  relation  to  the  stage  was  much  like 
that  of  Mademoiselle  Burmeister.  No  operatic  perform- 
ance in  those  days  was  quite  complete  without  him, 
for  he  was  not  only  always  ready  for  his  own  parts,  but, 
when  necessary,  for  the  parts  of  the  other  bassos  also. 
Amodio  and  Bellini  must  be  coupled  together.  They 
were  large  men,  with  large  voices  and  a  large  style, 
who  made  the  rafters  of  the  old  wigwam  in  which 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  first  nominated  ring  with  their 
sonority  when  they  sang  the  "  Liberty  Duet "  ("  Suoni  la 
tromba"),  from  "  Puritani."  Susini  and  Junca,  among 
the  older  bassos,  were  accomplished,  faithful  artists, 
making  no  complaints,  like  all  the  rest  of  those  big  bass 
fellows,  when  people  did  not  appreciate  them  and  prima 
donnas  and  tenors  carried  off  all  the  applause.  Castel- 
mary  visited  Chicago  once  only.  He  also  was  an  accom- 
plished singer,  and  his  Mephistopheles  in  "  Faust "  a  most 
artistic  performance.  It  may  be  remembered  that,  like 
Remenyi,  he  died  upon  the  stage,  at  the  close  of  a 


132  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

performance,  in  1897.  Another  famous  Mephistopheles 
was  the  big,  huge-voiced  Hermanns.  His  action  of  the 
part  was  fine,  but  his  make-up  was  hideous  enough  to 
have  frozen  Marguerite  stiff  at  first  sight.  But  this 
Teutonic  giant  can  never  be  disassociated  in  my  memory 
from  his  Beppo,  the  bandit,  in  "  Fra  Diavolo,"  and  the 
song,  "  I  'm  afloat,"  which  he  once  interpolated  in  the 
third  act,  and  which  he  delivered  with  stentorian  voice 
in  this  style  : 

"  I  'm  a  bloat,  I  'm  a  bloat 
On  der  dark  rolling  tide ; 
The  ocean's  mein  home 
And  mein  park  is  my  pride." 

Carl  Formes  brought  the  biggest  and  most  impres- 
sive bass  from  Germany  that  ever  passed  through  the 
American  Musical  custom  house.  I  first  heard  him 
in  concert  in  Chicago  (1857),  the  year  of  his  arrival 
in  the  United  States,  but  I  remember  only  one  num- 
ber in  that  programme,  Schubert's  "  Wanderer."  His 
singing  of  this  impressive  Lied  was  so  majestic  in  man- 
ner, and  withal  so  tender,  for  a  voice  that  resembled  an 
organ  tone  in  depth,  strength,  and  sonority,  that  one 
could  hardly  remember  anything  else.  He  was  then 
in  his  prime.  He  had  a  strong,  leonine  face,  high 
forehead,  long  wavy  black  hair,  and  an  Apollo  Belvi- 
dere  throat  and  chest.  He  was  built  on  a  massive 
scale  and  his  voice  corresponded,  for  he  surpassed  all 
his  contemporaries  as  a  basso  profundo.  He  visited 
Chicago  often  and  lived  here  for  a  time.  His  great 
operatic  roles  were  Mai  vol  io  in  "  Stradella  "  ;  Plunket 
in    "Martha";    Falstaff    in    "The    Merry    Wives    of 


o 

- 

1 


SB 

-. 

z 


FORMES  — MYRON  D.  WHITNEY  133 

Windsor";  Sarastro  in  "The  Magic  Flute";  Marcel 
in  "  The  Huguenots  "  ;  Rocco  in  "  Fidelio  "  ;  Bertram 
in  "  Robert  the  Devil "  ;  and  Leporello  in  "  Don  Gio- 
vanni." He  was  a  versatile  singer,  equally  at  home 
in  Plunket's  rollicking  drinking  song,  or  the  impres- 
sive "  Isis  and  Osiris  "  and  "  In  diesen  heilgen  Hallen  " 
from  "The  Magic  Flute."  His  Leporello  and  Rocco 
always  seemed  to  me  his  most  finished  performances. 
His  conception  of  the  former  was  quite  original,  for,  un- 
like most  singers  in  that  part,  he  did  not  make  him  a 
clown,  but  a  fitting  attendant  for  his  reckless  master. 
In  1889,  when  a  very  old  man,  he  sang  in  opera  in 
San  Francisco  and  died  in  the  same  year.  He  used 
to  say  that  preservation  of  his  voice  was  due  "to 
God's  grace  and  the  Italian  method." 


Myron  D.  Whitney,  the  best  of  American  bassos,  is 
still  living,  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  otium  cum  dignitate 
and  the  memories  of  a  long  career  of  uninterrupted 
popular  admiration  and  vocal  success.  He  sang  for 
a  few  seasons  in  opera  most  acceptably  and  was  for 
a  time  with  the  America  Opera  Troupe,  but  his  crown- 
ing achievements  were  in  oratorio  and  festivals.  He 
made  his  first  oratorio  success  in  Birmingham  and 
Oxford,  England,  where  the  test  was  a  severe  one,  for 
the  English  are  an  oratorio-loving  people,  and  most 
of  the  traditions  centre  about  Birmingham.  He  had 
a  smooth,  rich,  resonant  bass,  admirably  schooled,  and 
delivered  with  refinement,  dignity,  and  classical  repose. 
As  an  oratorio  singer,  indeed,  he  had  no  equal   in  his 


134  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

time,  and  his  superior  has  not  yet  been  found.  He  is 
the  soul  of  geniality  and  has  a  quiet  humor  that  makes 
him  a  most  delightful  companion.  He  has  always  been 
universally  beloved  on  and  off  the  stage,  and  respected 
and  honored  as  few  singers  have  been. 


CHAPTER  XI 
ENGLISH    OPERA 

THE      PYNE-HARRISON     TROUPE  —  CAROLINE     RICHING8  —  HER 
INDUSTRY  AND  VARIOUS  VENTURES  —  THE  OLD  QUARTETTE 

—  ZELDA  SEGUIN,  CASTLE,  AND  CAMPBELL  —  HENRI  DRAY- 
TON —  THE  SCARED  CAT  —  PAREPA  —  HER  ANCESTRY  — 
DIFFICULTIES  OF  AVOIRDUPOIS  —  BOUTS  WITH  THE  CLERGY 

—  HER  MARRIAGE  —  MADAME  RUDERSDORF's  TRIBUTE  — 
THE  BOSTONIANS  —  JESSIE  BARTLETT  DAVIS  —  THE  "  PINA- 
FORE "    FEVER 

THE  advance  detachment  of  English  opera  in 
Chicago  was  the  Pyne-Harrison  troupe.  It 
came  to  this  country  from  England  in  1855, 
and  Louisa  Pyne  was  its  leading  figure.  She  was 
somewhat  short  in  stature,  blond  haired  and  blue  eyed, 
with  an  unusually  pleasing  and  expressive  face,  and 
a  stage  presence  which  was  the  ideal  of  courtesy  and 
dignity.  She  had  been  very  successful  in  England 
and  was  a  great  favorite  of  Queen  Victoria,  who 
pensioned  her  when  she  retired.  She  was  a  most 
accomplished  musician  and  had  a  remarkably  sweet 
and  fluent  voice  as  well  as  an  engaging  manner  of 
singing.  She  came  to  Chicago  in  1856,  but  did  not 
appear  in  opera.  She  brought  with  her  her  sister 
Susan,  Harrison,  tenor,  Horncastle,  basso,  Borrani, 
barytone,  and  Reif,  pianist,  and  they  gave  concerts. 
In  this  connection  memory  recalls  Tom  Whiffen,  whose 


136  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

wife  was  niece  of  the  Pynes,  though  neither  was  a 
member  of  the  troupe.  Whiffen  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1868  and  appeared  as  a  singer  in  the  Galton 
troupe,  but  subsequently  rose  to  distinction  as  an  actor. 
He  was  one  of  the  few  men  whom  it  is  a  privilege  to 
know  —  a  genial,  refined  scholar  and  gentleman,  an 
ardent  lover  of  books,  and  a  companion  of  the  best 
actors,  singers,  and  bookmen  of  his  time.  I  met  him  in 
Chicago,  when  he  came  here  in  a  "  Pinafore  "  company, 
and  he  strongly  reminded  me  of  Thackeray's  George 
Warrington. 

In  1858  Chicago  was  introduced  to  English  opera 
with  a  performance  of  the  "  Crown  Diamonds,"  by 
the  Durand  troupe,  which  comprised  Rosalie  Durand, 
Misses  King  and  Hodson,  and  Messrs.  Arnold,  Trevor, 
and  Lyster.  This  troupe  was  followed  by  another 
headed  by  Lucy  Estcott,  a  charming  little  singer;  but 
financial  difficulties  overtook  her,  and  the  season  was 
cut  short.  Next  came  a  still  stronger  troupe  in  1859 
(Cooper's),  with  Annie  Milner,  Rudolphsen,  Aynesley 
Cook,  and  Brookhouse  Bowler,  as  principals.  After 
giving  Chicago  "  The  Creation,"  the  Metropolitan  Hall  * 
stage  was  arranged  for  operatic  performances,  and  al- 
though the  stage  settings  were  crude  and  its  area  cir- 
cumscribed, "  The  Elixir  of  Love,"  "  Trovatore,"  "  The 
Barber  of  Seville,"  "  Norma,"  "  Sonnambula,"  and  "  The 
Daughter  of  the  Regiment  "  were  given  very  creditably. 
Chicago  listened  to  opera  in  those  days  at  fifty  cents  a 
seat  and  no  charge  for  reserving.     Why,  it  was  worth 

*  Metropolitan  Hall  was  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Lasalle  and  Ran- 
dolph streets. 


CAROLINE  RICHINGS  137 

that  just  to  hear  Bowler  sing  the  "  Fair  Land  of  Poland  " 
in  "  The  Bohemian  Girl "  !  He  had  a  ringing  tenor  voice, 
and  plenty  of  force  and  fire  behind  it  to  make  the  mar- 
tial strains  thrill  you.  He  had  a  prodigious  memory. 
His  favorite  way  of  learning  his  part  was  not  by  attend- 
ing tedious  rehearsals  and  punishing  a  piano,  but  by 
whistling  it  through  in  an  evening. 

English  opera,  however,  did  not  get  a  firm  foothold 
until  Caroline  Richings  appeared  upon  the  scene.  She 
was  the  smartest,  brightest,  hardest  working  artist  of 
them  all.  It  is  usually  believed  that  she  was  an  Amer- 
ican and  a  daughter  of  Peter  Richings,  the  actor.  On 
the  contrary,  she  was  born  in  England,  and  her  father's 
name  was  Reynoldson.  After  her  father's  death  Rich- 
ings gave  her  a  musical  education,  adopted  her,  and 
brought  her  to  this  country.  She  made  her  debut  as  a 
pianist  in  1847  at  a  Philadelphia  Philharmonic  concert; 
as  a  singer  with  the  Seguin  troupe  in  1852  ;  and  as  a 
comedienne  in  1853  in  "  The  Prima  Donna,"  in  which 
she  had  a  singing  part.  She  first  appeared  in  Chicago 
with  her  "  father  "  in  1854,  at  Rice's  Theatre,  as  a 
pianist  and  singer,  and  made  a  great  success  in  "  The 
Daughter  of  the  Regiment."  In  1855  she  had  a  ben- 
efit at  the  same  theatre,  at  which  she  appeared  in 
Bishop's  "  Clara,  Maid  of  Milan,"  also  in  an  after  piece, 
"Court  Favors,"  at  the  close  of* which  an  allegorical 
tableau,  "  Valley  Forge,"  was  presented,  with  old  Peter 
as  Washington,  and  Caroline  as  the  Genius  of  Liberty, 
singing  "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner." 

I  think  it  was  in  1866  that  this  brave  little  woman 
started  out  with  a  troupe  of  her  own,  determined  to 


138  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

develop  the  possibilities  of  English  opera,  and  suc- 
ceeded, with  the  help  of  the  best  troupe  ever  or- 
ganized, in  carrying  out  her  purpose.  To  mention 
the  names  of  the  best  English  quartette  singers  ever 
heard  here  —  Caroline  Richings,  Zelda  Harrison,  Wil- 
liam Castle,  and  "  Sher  "  Campbell  —  recalls  only  pleas- 
ant nights  of  musical  enjoyment.  Zelda  Harrison,  who 
subsequently  married  Seguin,  the  artist,  was  one  of  the 
most  delightful  of  singers  and  a  charming  actress,  espe- 
cially as  Nancy  in  "  Martha,"  Cherubino  in  "  The  Mar- 
riage of  Figaro,"  as  well  as  in  the  serious  parts  of 
Urbain  in  "  The  Huguenots,"  Azucena  in  "  Trovatore," 
and  Adalgisa  in  "  Norma."  William  Castle,  a  hand- 
some, dashing  tenor,  was  a  universal  favorite.  He  was 
an  excellent  actor,  and  had  a  smooth,  rich,  velvety 
voice,  that  lent  itself  admirably  to  melodious  roles. 
"  Sher  "  Campbell  was  the  basso  of  the  quartette.  In 
1864,  previous  to  the  appearance  of  the  Richings' 
troupe,  I  think  Campbell  and  Castle  organized  a  troupe 
with  Rosa  Cooke  as  prima  donna,  and  that  the  tour  was 
abandoned  in  the  Spring  of  1865.  As  the  story  goes, 
on  the  morning  of  April  15,  while  in  a  Southern  Illinois 
town,  Castle  was  aroused  by  a  knock  at  his  bedroom 
door,  and  the  hotel  landlord  shouting  in  a  loud  tone, 
"  Say,  you  git  up  and  git  out  of  here  as  quick  as  you 
can ;  one  of  you  damned  actors  killed  the  President  last 
night,  and  it  ain't  safe  for  any  of  your  kind  of  folks 
around  here,  so  you  had  better  git."  And  they  got. 
Campbell  was  originally  a  Connecticut  carriage  trim- 
mer, but  went  on  the  minstrel  stage  upon  the  advice  of 
Jerry  Bryant.     A  few  years  later  he  sang  in  opera  and 


Caroline   Richings 
William  Castle 


Zelda  Seguin 
S.  C.  Campbell 


HENRI  DRAYTON  139 

became  a  favorite.  He  was  not  a  remarkable  actor,  but 
he  sang  with  much  feeling  and  expression,  and  was  at 
his  best  in  such  songs  as  "  The  Heart  bowed  down  " 
in  "  The  Bohemian  Girl,"  and  "  The  Di  Provenza  "  in 
"  Traviata."  When  Count  Arnheim  observes  Arline's 
picture  and  gives  expression  to  his  grief  in  his  well- 
known  reverie,  or  Germont  appeals  to  his  son  with 
memories  of  the  Provence  home,  the  audience  were  al- 
ways deeply  impressed.  And  how  we  all  thought  that 
the  "  Good  Night  "  in  "  Martha  "  would  never  be  sung 
so  well  by  any  other  four !  Certainly  there  were  never 
four  voices  better  adapted  to  each  other. 

In  1870  a  combination  of  the  Richings  and  Parepa 
troupes,  with  the  exception  of  Parepa  herself,  was 
effected.  The  new  organization  included  Caroline 
Richings,  Rose  Hersee,  Emma  Howson,  Zelda  Seguin, 
Annie  Kemp  Bowler,  Annie  Starbird,  William  Castle, 
Brookhouse  Bowler,  John  Chatterson,  Alberto  Lau- 
rence, S.  C.  Campbell,  Henri  Drayton,  Arthur  Howell, 
Mrs.  Drayton,  Fannie  Goodwin,  Amati  Dubreul,  and 
S.  Behrens,  conductor.  It  was  one  of  the  strongest 
ever  made  for  English  opera.  This  troupe  gave 
twenty-one  different  operas  in  eighteen  consecutive 
nights  and  three  matinees,  without  a  variation  from 
the  original  announcements.  That  shows  how  opera 
was  given  in  the  old  days.  The  name  of  Henri  Dray- 
ton appears  in  the  above  list.  He  had  a  varied  and 
picturesque  career.  He  was  born  in  Philadelphia  and 
educated  as  a  topographical  engineer.  He  abandoned 
that  profession,  however,  because  of  his  love  of  music, 
went  to  Paris,  and  was  the  first  American  student  at 


140  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

the  Conservatoire,  and  also  the  favorite  pupil  of  La- 
blache.  During  the  Revolution  he  sang  the  "Marseil- 
laise" on  the  barricades.  Then  he  went  to  England, 
where  he  became  a  great  favorite.  He  returned  to 
this  country  in  1859  with  his  wife,  and  they  gave 
"  parlor  operas  "  which  he  wrote  or  adapted.  He  was 
a  courtly  gentleman,  a  scholar  of  ability,  the  author 
of  many  plays  and  operettas,  and  a  singer  of  superb 
power  and  expression.  He  died  in  1872.  His  Rip 
Van  Winkle  in  Bristow's  opera  of  that  name  and  his 
Devilshoof  in  "  The  Bohemian  Girl "  were  capital 
pieces  of  acting,  but  Marcel  in  "  The  Huguenots " 
always  seemed  to  me  his  best  role.  He  was  the 
physical  ideal  of  the  old  Huguenot  soldier.  He  told 
me  a  funny  incident  in  his  experience  at  one  time 
in  the  denouement  of  this  opera.  He  was  forced  to 
laugh  in  the  death  scene  when  the  stage  cat,  fright- 
ened by  something,  ran  across  the  stage  and  leaped  into 
a  box,  frightening  a  lady  so  that  she  screamed  and 
dropped  her  opera  glass  upon  the  bald  pate  of  the  trom- 
bone player,  who  jumped  up  with  a  howl  and  created 
a  panic  of  consternation  among  the  violinists.  Order 
at  last  was  restored,  and  Marcel  went  on  dying  in  quiet 
convulsions  of  laughter. 

In  1873  Richings,  who  at  this  time  was  Mrs. 
Bernard,  having  married  one  of  her  tenors,  took  a 
position  in  Miss  Kellogg's  opera  troupe  and  sang  one 
season.  During  1874  she  headed  an  Old  Folks'  concert 
troupe.  This  was  disbanded  in  1875,  and  she  then 
organized  a  troupe  to  give  concerts  and  light  operas, 
which   met    with    varying   success   for   three   or   four 


PAREPA  141 

years.  She  was  still  engaged  in  perfecting  future 
operatic  plans  when  she  died  in  1882.  There  never 
was  a  harder  working  woman  on  the  stage  than 
Caroline  Richings.  She  could  sing  every  night  in  the 
week,  month  in  and  month  out,  and  appear  upon  the 
stage  every  night  as  fresh  as  if  she  were  just  back 
from  a  vacation.  I  was  witness  once  to  the  following 
incident.  I  was  talking  with  her  about  her  repertory 
for  the  coming  week,  when  one  of  the  chorus  women 
came  up,  apologized  for  the  interruption,  and  asked 
to  be  excused  that  evening,  as  she  was  not  "feeling 
very  well." 

"Not  feeling  very  well,"  said  Richings.  "It  is 
your  business  to  feel  well  all  the  time.  Why,  Eliz- 
abeth, I  had  the  measles  once  for  two  weeks  and 
sang  every  night,  though  I  didn't  feel  very  well,  and 
I  did  n't  give  them  to  anybody  either.  Brace  up ! 
You  will  feel  a  great  deal  better  if  you  come  to-night. 
I  really  can't  excuse  you." 

To  this  faithful,  honest,  hard  worker  belongs  the 
credit  of  having  placed  English  opera  upon  a  sound 
footing. 

There  are  few  artists  I  recall  more  pleasantly,  few 
who  have  more  completely  identified  themselves  with 
their  art,  than  Parepa.  Her  unvarying  good  nature 
and  big-heartedness  somehow  blended  most  happily 
with  her  rich,  flexible,  and  almost  inexhaustible  voice. 
She  was  big  in  every  way,  —  mentally,  morally,  and 
physically,  —  and  acquaintance  with  her  off  the  stage 
compelled  an  admiration  of  her  personally  as  well  as 


142  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

vocally.  It  would  be  difficult  to  assign  her  real  descent. 
Her  maternal  grandfather  was  a  Welshman.  Her  pa- 
ternal grandmother  was  the  daughter  of  a  Turkish 
Grand  Vizier.  Her  father  was  a  Wallachian  noble- 
man, Baron  Georgiades  de  Boyesku  of  Bucharest ;  her 
mother,  Elizabeth  Seguin,  sister  of  the  famous  English 
basso;  and  she  herself  was  born  in  Scotland.  I  may 
add  that  her  first  husband  was  an  Englishman,  and  her 
second,  a  German.  She  made  her  debut  as  a  mere  girl 
in  1855  at  Malta,  and  her  English  debut  in  1857. 
After  remaining  in  London  until  1865,  she  came  to  this 
country  for  a  concert  tour  under  the  management  of 
H.  L.  Bateman.  She  first  appeared  in  Chicago,  October 
23,  1865,  in  concert,  supported  by  Levy,  the  whirlwind 
polka  cornetist,  and  Carl  Rosa,  the  violinist,  with  Carl 
Anschutz  leader.  She  introduced  herself  with  the 
"Casta  Diva,"  "Nightingale's  Trill,"  "II  Bacio,"  and 
"  Five  o'clock  in  the  morning."  She  made  many  visits 
here  —  in  1866,  with  Mills  the  pianist,  Fortuna  the 
barytone,  Ferranti,  and  Brignoli ;  in  1868,  with  Bowler, 
Ferranti,  Rosa,  and  Levy ;  in  1869,  in  "  The  Creation," 
assisted  by  Nordblom,  tenor,  and  Rudolphsen,  basso ; 
and  in  1869-1870,  with  her  English  opera  troupe  in  a 
season  memorable  for  the  first  hearing  of  "Oberon," 
"  The  Puritan's  Daughter,"  "  The  Black  Domino,"  and 
"  The  Marriage  of  Figaro  "  in  English.  The  season  was 
also  memorable  for  Chicago's  first  acquaintance  with  the 
charming  little  Rose  Hersee,  a  fascinating  singer  and 
refined  and  elegant  actress.  In  connection  with  the  first 
performance  of  "  The  Marriage  of  Figaro,"  the  audience 
was  treated  to  a   revised  version  of  the  libretto.     It 


DIFFICULTIES  OF  AVOIRDUPOIS  143 

will  be  remembered  that  in  the  conspiracy  to  punish  the 
Count,  Susanna  contrives  a  rendezvous  with  him  in  the 
garden,  and  arranges  with  the  Countess  that  she  shall 
disguise  herself  as  the  maid,  the  latter  assuming  the 
identity  of  the  Countess.  But  at  this  point  an  awk- 
ward situation  arose.  As  Parepa  was  very  stout  and 
Hersee  was  very  slender,  the  scene  would  have  been  so 
ludicrous  as  to  spoil  the  effect.  Parepa  and  Carl  Rosa 
called  me  into  their  council,  and  at  last  the  problem 
was  solved  by  the  addition  of  a  few  lines,  introduced  as 
spoken  parts,  which  humorously  explained  the  situation 
and  forestalled  the  inconsistency  by  preparing  the  audi- 
ence for  it.  The  difficulty  was  satisfactorily  bridged 
over,  and  few  in  the  audience  probably  suspected  the 
text  had  been  tampered  with.  It  was  at  first  contem- 
plated to  introduce  the  interpolation  in  recitative,  but 
Carl  Rosa  firmly  declined  to  attempt  a  Mozartean 
accompaniment. 

Parepa  had  a  remarkably  pure  and  melodious  soprano 
voice,  which  had  been  so  carefully  trained  that  it  was 
free  from  all  exaggeration,  or  vices  of  any  kind,  and 
was  enjoyable  in  every  detail  of  execution  as  well  as 
in  all  styles  of  music,  —  opera,  oratorio,  or  ballad.  She 
was  most  unassuming  in  manner  and  always  refined 
in  her  work.  A  coarse  note  or  a  coarse  bit  of  expres- 
sion never  escaped  from  her.  She  was  a  well-educated 
woman,  and  had  gifts  of  language  as  well  as  of  voice, 
for  she  spoke  English,  Italian,  French,  German,  and 
Spanish  fluently.  She  was  also  sincerely  religious  and 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  yet  more 
than  once  she  was  attacked  by  some  of  the  over  zealous 


144  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

clergymen.  She  had  several  tilts  with  them,  for  she 
always  resented  attacks  upon  members  of  her  profes- 
sion. Once  in  a  Western  town,  where  she  was  to  open 
an  opera  house,  an  opposition  religious  service  was  held, 
and  the  following  rather  crude  poem  was  printed  and 
circulated : 

Is  that  garment  e'er  woven 

Of  pleasures  of  earth, 
Of  scenes  of  the  theatre, 

Or  in  halls  of  mirth? 
No,  no,  that  endless  concert 

Of  artists  whose  fame 
Time's  trumps  are  even  too  base 

To  utter  their  names, 
Whose  sweet  songs  and  whose  singing 

Far  richer  shall  be 
Than  Parepas  e'er  sing 

With  their  best  melody. 

On  the  second  night  of  the  engagement  Philip  Phil- 
lips, "the  Sweet  Singer,"  was  pitted  against  her,  but 
Parepa  managed  to  hold  her  own,  and  she  went  away 
leaving  the  villagers  none  the  worse  from  hearing  her. 
She  had  an  experience  also  with  a  minister  in  Chicago, 
who  had  assailed  the  opera  as  well  as  herself,  and  sent 
me  a  letter  for  publication,  in  which  she  vigorously 
defended  the  singers.  I  regret  I  cannot  print  it  here. 
It  was  deftly  abstracted  from  my  autograph  collection 
by  a  clergyman  who  was  an  autograph  fiend,  and  who 
declined  to  return  it  to  me.  It  goes  to  show  the  de- 
moralizing effect  of  the  collecting  habit,  even  upon 
clergymen. 

Though  Parepa,  as  I  have  said,  was  very  stout,  she 


G 

s 

3 


pa 


^^^^- 

p*r 

**\      9r%^ 

■c 

%     w  3* 

fe^vijH    §L 

/ 

i?^^?*^  ■'• 

y 

o 


o 


PAREPA'S  MARRIAGE  145 

never  allowed  her  avoirdupois  to  interfere  with  her  per- 
formances and  always  accepted  the  embarrassing  situa- 
tion with  the  utmost  good  nature.  She  did  not  hesitate 
to  personate  Arline  in  the  "  Bohemian  Girl,"  for  instance, 
"  delicate  daughter  of  royal  birth,"  though  at  times  she 
had  to  smile  at  the  incongruity.  When  Arditi,  who  had 
written  a  waltz  song  for  her,  complained  that  she  did 
not  care  for  him,  for  she  seldom  sang  his  song,  she 
laughingly  replied  :  "  Dear  maestro,  think  of  the  words, 
'  Io  so  volar ! '  and  then  look  at  me  !  Do  I  look  as  if  I 
could  fly  ?  " 

There  have  been  many  absurd  stories  about  Parepa's 
marriage  to  Carl  Rosa,  her  second  husband.*  A  report 
was  circulated  and  generally  credited  that  she  was  so 
infatuated  with  Brignoli,  and  so  jealous  of  his  atten- 
tions to  other  ladies,  that  she  deliberately  proposed  to 
Carl  Rosa,  who  was  a  small  man  and  her  junior,  and 
married  him.  I  think  I  have  a  more  authoritative  ex- 
planation. She  was  once  asked  how  she  came  to  marry 
such  a  little  man.  She  replied,  "  Would  you  really  like 
to  know  ?  Why  !  because  he  asked  me."  Parepa  told 
me  of  this  conversation,  and  added,  "  How  could  I  help 
it?  Carl  is  so  little,  and  I  pitied  him  so."  Carl  Rosa 
may  have  been  small  in  stature,  but  he  was  big  in  spirit. 
After  their  marriage,  which  was  a  very  happy  one,  she 
had  to  accept  his  interpretations  of  music  whether  she 
agreed  with  him  or  not.  Once,  when  she  came  late  to 
rehearsal,  he  stopped  the  singing  and  rebuked  her  be- 
fore the  company,  saying  :  "  Euphrosyne,  this  is  a  very 

*  Parepa's  first  husband  was  Captain  De  Wolfe,  an  English  gentleman, 
who  died  in  1865. 

10 


146  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

bad  example  for  you  to  set  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of 
the  company.  You  must  not  do  it  again."  And  she 
did  not. 

Parepa  died  in  London  in  1874.  No  finer  tribute 
was  paid  to  her  than  that  by  Madame  Rudersdorf, 
Richard  Mansfield's  mother,  who  wrote: 

"A  woman  of  the  highest  culture,  endowed  with  innu- 
merable talents  ;  a  pure-minded  woman ;  a  sparkling,  clever 
companion  ;  a  true  friend  ;  a  most  loving  and  devoted  wife ; 
a  very  woman  longing  for  the  joys  and  blessings  of  mother- 
hood, and  dying  because  fate  snatched  them  away  from  her." 

The  Bostonians  deserve  a  place  in  the  memories  of 
English  opera.  The  germ  of  this  old-time  popular  or- 
ganization is  to  be  found  in  the  Barnabee  concert  troupe 
of  1870,  and  the  development  of  it  in  a  troupe  organ- 
ized in  Boston  for  the  performance  of  "  Pinafore," 
which  included  Barnabee,  Myron  Whitney,  Tom  Karl, 
MacDonald,  Marie  Stone,  and  Adelaide  Phillips.  Their 
success  was  so  great  that  they  ventured  to  give  "  The 
Marriage  of  Figaro,"  "  Chimes  of  Normandy,"  "  Tro- 
vatore,"  "The  Bohemian  Girl,"  and  other  operas.  As 
time  went  on  new  singers  replaced  old  ones,  among 
them  Zelie  de  Lussan,  Jessie  Bartlett  Davis,  Geraldine 
Ulmar,  W.  H.  Fessenden,  and  Cowles,  the  ex-bank  clerk, 
with  his  ponderous  bass.  American  operas  were  also 
added  to  the  repertory,  particularly  those  composed  by 
Reginald  DeKoven.  The  troupe  was  unique  because  it 
was  made  up  exclusively  of  American  singers  and  was 
managed  by  an  American  woman.  The  most  prominent 
lady  singer  in  the  troupe  was  Jessie  Bartlett  Davis,  an 


JESSIE  BARTLETT  DAVIS  147 

Illinois  farmer's  daughter.  In  her  sixteenth  year  she 
joined  the  Richings  company,  then  in  its  last  season. 
The  next  year  she  came  to  Chicago  and  studied  here, 
and  also  secured  a  church  choir  position.  In  the  Winter 
of  1878  Creswold,  the  organist,  placed  her  in  a  com- 
pany of  recruits  from  several  churches  in  the  city  to 
present  "  Pinafore,"  in  which  she  made  a  hit  as  Little 
Buttercup.  The  local  concerts  of  the  Chicago  Church 
Choir  Pinafore  Company  proved  so  successful  that  it 
was  taken  through  the  country  on  tour.  After  her  mar- 
riage, in  1880,  she  retired  from  the  stage  for  two  years. 
In  1882  she  joined  the  Carleton  Opera  Company,  and 
her  success  led  to  her  engagement  by  Mapleson,  for  grand 
opera,  in  which  she  sang  with  Adelina  Patti  in  "  Faust," 
"The  Huguenots,"  and  "Dinorah."  In  1883  she  re- 
sumed singing  in  the  Sullivan  operettas  throughout  the 
West.  Her  next  engagement  was  with  the  Bostonians, 
with  which  organization  she  was  identified  for  twelve 
years.  After  leaving  it,  she  appeared  one  season  in  the 
principal  vaudeville  theatres  of  the  country,  and  the 
next  season  sang  in  the  "  all  star  "  cast  of  "  Erminie," 
which  was  her  last  appearance  in  a  regular  singing 
organization.  She  died  May  14, 1905.  Mrs.  Davis  had 
a  pure  contralto  voice  of  good,  even  range,  and  her 
lower  notes  were  unusually  rich  and  full.  She  dis- 
played great  intelligence,  both  in  singing  and  acting, 
and  in  ballad  singing  she  excelled  by  reason  of  her 
vivacious,  expressive  manner. 

The  evolution  of   popular  entertainment  during  the 
past  fifty  years  can  easily  be  traced  from  the  legitimate 


148  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

drama,  concert,  oratorio,  and  opera,  to  spectacular  ex- 
hibitions, opera  bouflie,  operettas  of  the  "  Pinafore " 
class,  light  operas,  and  from  these  to  musical  comedies 
introduced  by  "  Florodora  "  and  rag-time  by  "  Bedelia," 
and  to  the  problem,  Wild  West,  and  creepy  dramas  of 
despair.  In  all  this  evolution  nothing  ever  equalled 
the  success  of  the  Gilbert-Sullivan  operettas,  particu- 
larly "Pinafore."  It  was  not  only  a  success,  but  a 
frenzy.  Captain  Corcoran  and  his  jolly  crew,  not 
forgetting  "  his  sisters  and  his  cousins  whom  he  reck- 
ons by  the  dozens,"  drove  everything  else  out  of  the 
field  and  enthralled  and  engrossed  the  public  mind. 
The  fever  broke  out  about  1879  and  raged  fiercely 
during  that  year.  It  lasted  four  or  five  years,  gradu- 
ally abated  in  violence,  and  disappeared  about  1885. 
But  for  once  this  popular  frenzy  had  some  justification, 
for  this  series  of  operettas  was  clean,  bright,  wholesome, 
witty,  and  masterly  for  light  music. 

A  brief  statement  will  serve  to  show  how  the  fever 
raged  in  Chicago.  "  Pinafore "  was  first  given  here 
January  27,  1879.  Digby  Bell  was  Sir  Joseph ;  P.  J.  J. 
Cooper,  Captain  Corcoran ;  A.  H.  Thompson,  Ralph 
Rackstraw ;  John  Benitz,  Dick  Deadeye ;  Mattie  Lan- 
caster, Josephine ;  and  Flora  E.  Barry,  Little  Buttercup. 
Two  amateur  troupes  likewise,  the  Duff  and  Pauline 
Markham  companies,  performed  it  in  February.  The 
Standard  Theatre  Company  of  New  York  gave  it  in 
May,  with  a  strong  cast,  including  Tom  Whiffen  (every- 
body liked  him  so  that  he  was  universally  called 
"Torn"),  Hart  Conway,  Alonzo  Hatch,  William  Dav- 
idge,   Marie   Stone,  and   Blanche   Galton,  and  in  the 


'...;' 


Ulmar  —  Farster  —  St.  Maur 

"  The  Three  Little  Maids  from  School "  in  "  The  Mikado  " 


THE  "PINAFORE"  FEVER  149 

same  month  it  was  performed  by  the  Mendelssohn 
Club  of  Hyde  Park  and  the  Madrigal  Opera  Company. 
In  June  the  Chicago  Church  Choir  Company  began 
its  remarkable  series  of  representations.  The  original 
cast  was  as  follows :  Sir  Joseph,  Frank  Bowen ;  Cap- 
tain Corcoran,  John  S.  McWade;  Ralph,  Charles  A. 
Knorr;  Dick  Deadeye,  L.  W.  Raymond;  Boatswain, 
Charles  F.  Noble ;  Josephine,  Mrs.  Louis  Falk ;  Butter- 
cup, Jessie  Bartlett ;  Hebe,  Mrs.  E.  S.  Tilton.  In  the 
same  month  the  Gilmore  Juvenile  Company,  composed 
of  children,  performed  it.  In  July  it  was  given  in 
German.  In  October  the  company  which  afterwards 
developed  into  the  Bostonians  came.  The  cast  in- 
cluded such  well-known  artists  as  Barnabee,  Myron  D. 
Whitney,  Tom  Karl,  Miss  McCulloch,  Mrs.  May  Beebe, 
and  Georgie  Cayvan.  Two  juvenile  troupes,  the  Hav- 
erly  and  the  Burton  Stanley,  also  gave  it.  In  1880  the 
performances  of  "  Pinafore  "  fell  off:  some,  for  others  of 
the  Sullivan  operettas  were  brought  forward;  but  the 
D'Oyley  Carte  troupe  gave  it  several  times.  In  1881  it 
declined  still  more  rapidly.  "  Patience,"  "  The  Pirates 
of  Penzance,"  and  "  The  Mikado  "  were  taking  its  place, 
but  it  was  given  a  few  times  that  year  by  the  Boston 
Ideals  and  by  one  or  two  minor  troupes.  In  1882  and 
1883  it  was  performed  in  Chicago  only  by  the  Church 
Choir  Company,  which  had  returned  from  its  wander- 
ings, much  to  the  delight  of  their  respective  congre- 
gations. It  was  given  once  or  twice  in  1884  by  a 
company  organized  by  John  Stetson,  and  I  think  the 
fever  disappeared  in  1885,  though  even  now  a  sporadic 
case  appears  at  times. 


150  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

How  it  raged  in  1879  !  Not  less  than  thirty  troupes 
were  in  the  field  at  one  time,  all  making  money.  It 
was  given  by  all  the  large  city  church  choirs,  German 
and  French  troupes,  negro  troupes,  children's  troupes, 
opera  bouffe  companies,  and  scratch  troupes  of  the  most 
heterogeneous  kinds.  It  was  travestied  on  the  minstrel 
stage  and  thinned  the  ranks  of  the  regular  theatre 
players.  Think  of  the  jolly  company  that  "  sailed  the 
ocean  blue  "  in  H.  M.  S.  Pinafore  !  There  were  Gerald- 
ine  Ulmar,  Lilly  Post,  Emma  Abbott,  Julia  Marlowe, 
Annie  Russell,  Maude  Adams,  Mrs.  Ezra  Kendall,  Jessie 
Bartlett,  Adelaide  Phillips,  Marie  Stone,  Blanche  Galton, 
the  fascinating  Jarbeau  (some  of  these  ladies  were  only 
children  then),  Digby  Bell,  Raymond  Hitchcock,  Frank 
Deshon,  Henry  Woodruff,  Arthur  Dunn,  Frank  Dan- 
iels, Myron  D.  Whitney,  Tom  Whiffen,  Hart  Conway, 
Alonzo  Hatch,  William  Davidge,  and  Richard  Mansfield, 
—  even  Richard  Mansfield,  who  sang  the  admiral's  role 
in  London  for  fifteen  dollars  a  week,  when  he  was  nigh 
starvation,  only  to  be  told  by  his  manager,  "  Great 
heavens,  man !  You  will  never  act  as  long  as  you  live ! " 
But  somehow  he  did,  and  how  well  he  did  it,  and  how 
hard  he  fought  for  it,  and  how  stubbornly  he  held 
on  until  he  reached  the  top,  and  how  he  was  vilified ! 
The  "  Pinafore  "  fever  was  a  healthy  one.  It  is  a  pity 
we  cannot  have  another  like  it.  The  charming  little 
nautical  sketch  holds  an  honorable  place  in  the  records 
of  English  opera.  Its  wit  is  always  delicate  if  its 
satire  is  always  keen.  That  its  words  and  music 
should  fit  each  other  so  perfectly  is  all  the  more  re- 
markable when  its  dual  authorship  is  considered.     It 


THE  "PINAFORE"  FEVER  151 

is  a  sad  and  misanthropic  soul  that  does  not  now  and 
then  long  to  hear  Dick  Deadeye  sing  of  "The  Merry 
Maiden  and  the  Tar"  or  Sir  Joseph  boast  the  sover- 
eignty of  the  sea  with  the  cheery  refrain  of  his  long 
and  assorted  retinue  of  kindred. 


CHAPTER  XII 

OPERA    BOUFFE 

first  performances  in  chicago  —  lambele,  tostee,  and 
aimee  —  emily  soldene  and  the  galtons  —  soldene's 
literary  ability  —  lydia  thompson  and  the  "  brit- 
ish blondes"  —  her  war  with  the  newspapers  — 
her  assault  upon  an  editor  —  the  tables  turned 
—  Offenbach's  music 

OPERA  bouffe  was  imported  from  France  in  the 
late  sixties,  and  though  but  little  known  to  the 
present  generation,  met  with  extraordinary  suc- 
cess for  nearly  twenty  years,  particularly  in  the  case  of 
the  really  brilliant  contributions  which  Offenbach  made 
to  its  catalogue.  It  was  in  the  palmy  days  of  the 
Crosby  Opera  House,  April  13,  1868,  that  Chicago 
heard  its  first  opera  bouffe.  The  troupe  was  headed  by 
Aline  Lambele,  a  dainty  little  soubrette,  with  all  the 
pretty  little  ways,  graceful  movements,  and  fetching 
costumes  of  the  Frenchwoman,  and  presented  the 
three  most  attractive  Offenbach  operas,  "La  Grande 
Duchesse,"  "  La  Belle  Helene,"  and  "  Orpheus  aux 
Enfers."  They  were  something  entirely  novel.  For 
the  drollness  of  its  story,  the  originality  of  its  charac- 
ters as  well  as  of  its  music,  its  obstreperous  gayety, 
dash,  and  geniality,  mixed  with  occasional  seriousness 
and  romantic  sentiment,  "  La  Grande  Duchesse  "  was 
unique.     In  "  La  Belle  Helene,"  the  heroes  of  the  time 


LAMBELE,  TOSTEE,  AIMEE  153 

of  Paris  and  Helen  of  Troy  were  presented  in  modern 
burlesque.  In  "  Orpheus  "  the  Olympian  gods  and  god- 
desses were  introduced,  with  human  attributes,  and  as 
symbols  of  worldly  departments  of  action  and  official 
life.  In  a  word,  they  were  twentieth-century  carica- 
tures of  the  whole  Olympian  coterie.  It  is  rare  that 
anything  more  humorous  is  presented  on  the  stage  than 
the  procession  of  the  pagan  divinities  headed  by  a  brass 
band,  each  walking  in  regular  military  fashion,  car- 
riages conveying  the  old,  infirm,  and  worn-out  gods 
bringing  up  the  rear.  The  success  of  these  operas  was 
sufficiently  pronounced  to  tempt  other  troupes  to  cross 
the  water.  Toste'e,  the  riskiest  and  most  reckless  of 
the  Paris  opera  bouffe  actresses,  came  in  September  of 
that  year.  She  dressed  alluringly,  glittered  with  jewels, 
contorted  vulgarly,  sang  as  raucously  as  a  raven,  and 
skated  over  very  thin  ice.  The  next  season  brought 
Rose  Bell  and  Desclauzas,  who  introduced  "  Barbe 
Bleue  "  and  "  Genevieve  de  Brabant,"  with  its  fine  duet 
of  the  gendarmes,  and  the  suggestive  "La  Vie  Pari- 
sienne,"  "Fleur  de  The*,"  and  "L'CEil  Creve,"  which 
were  coarse  of  story  but  alluring  of  music.  The  Susan 
Galton  troupe  came  in  the  same  year.  It  was  a  little 
company  of  admirable  singers  and  actors,  all  the  prin- 
cipals being  related  to  Louisa  Pyne.  They  were  trained 
in  the  best  school  of  English  opera,  and  produced  the 
Offenbach  operettas,  which  are  as  bright  as  newly 
minted  dimes,  among  them  "  Sixty-six,"  "  Litzchen 
and  Fritzschen,"  "  Marriage  by  Lanterns,"  "  Ching 
Chow  Hi,"  and  "  Robinson  Crusoe."  Alice  Oates 
frisked  about  like  a  kitten  from  1871  to  1875.     She 


154  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

was  little,  but  very  alert  and  very  much  alive,  a  fair 
singer  and  good  all-round  actress,  who  usually  monop- 
olized about  nine-tenths  of  the  stage  business.  In  1875 
came  a  troupe  headed  by  Emily  Soldene,  one  of  the  few 
opera  bouffe  and  comic  opera  people  who  could  sing. 
She  had  sung  in  grand  opera,  but  for  some  reason  left 
it  for  the  lighter  work.  She  was  also  an  excellent 
actress,  and  if  any  one  doubts  she  was  at  home  with  the 
pen,  they  should  read  her  charming  "  Recollections."  * 
Aimee,  the  best  of  them  all,  a  fairly  good  singer,  and 
more  refined  in  her  action  than  many  of  the  others, 
came  in  1872,  and  was  such  a  favorite  that  she  ap- 
peared every  season  during  the  next  ten  years.  Paolo- 
Marie  in  1880,  Marie  Geistinger  in  1882,  Theo  in  1884, 
and  Judic  in  1885,  were  her  successors.  It  cannot  be 
said  that  any  of  these  frisky  revellers,  who  were  mostly 
French,  contributed  anything  of  consequence  to  high 
art.  Soldene  and  Geistinger  were  the  only  real  singers 
among  them,  and  Aimee  the  only  one  with  much  re- 
finement ;  there  were  times  when  even  Aimee's  eyes 
were  very  wicked  and  her  dancing  feverish,  but  she 
was  never  so  coarse  as  the  most  of  them. 


*  I  cannot  help  copying  the  following  passage  from  Soldene's  "Rec- 
ollections," particularly  as  the  book  is  now  difficult  to  find:  "Back  to  the 
days,  the  joyous  days  of  first-heard  music,  when  the  winds  to  each  sepa- 
rate tree  sang  a  different  tune ;  back  to  the  veritable  distractions  that  fell 
upon  the  ardent  but  stumbling  student  of  five  lines  and  four  spaces,  the 
impatient  inquirer  into  the  mysteries  of  '  do-re-mi-fa' ;  back  to  the  memo- 
ries of  mighty  artists,  to  the  memories  of  the  grand  opera,  memories  that, 
impalpable  and  gauze-like,  elude  one  and  get  mixed  up  with  the  gay  and 
festive  music  hall;  back,  way  back,  back  to  the  days  when  Plancus  was 
consul,  when  we  were  all  young;  back  to  the  birth  of  that  gilded,  glit- 
tering, tinselled  glory,  the  opera  bouffe  stage.  Ahl  the  days  when  we 
went  gipsying,  a  long  time  ago ! " 


Mlle.   Aimee 


LYDIA  THOMPSON  AND  THE  "BRITISH  BLONDES"    155 

Not  one  of  these,  however,  created  so  great  a  sensa- 
tion in  Chicago  so  the  handsome,  graceful  Lydia  Thomp- 
son, who  came  here  in  1869  with  her  "  British  Blondes," 
among  them  Eliza  Wethersby  and  Pauline  Markham, 
who  so  bewitched  Richard  Grant  White  with  her  "  vocal 
velvet."  They  opened  a  three  weeks'  season  at  the 
Crosby  Opera  House,  with  "  Sinbad  the  Sailor,"  Lydia, 
of  course,  being  the  sailor,  as  boy  parts  were  her  spe- 
cialty. The  display  of  personal  charms  exceeded  that 
in  "  The  Black  Crook,"  "  White  Fawn,"  and  other  spec- 
tacles, but  it  was  modest  as  compared  with  the  displays 
in  some  of  the  musical  comedies  of  the  present  day. 
The  papers  criticised  it  as  indecent,  and  the  ministers 
denounced  the  "  Blondes "  ;  but  at  last  they  departed 
and  the  storm  died  away.  Lydia,  however,  returned 
in  1870  with  the  same  people,  and  was  even  more  risky 
in  stage  costumes  and  saucy  in  her  personal  interpolations 
than  before.  The  storm  broke  out  anew.  The  "  Blondes" 
became  the  talk  of  the  town.  The  papers  scolded  and 
the  pulpit  thundered,  and  with  each  fresh  assault  the 
"  Blondes  "  grew  more  audacious,  and  Lydia,  who  was 
the  storm  centre,  more  furious  and  satirical  in  her  allu- 
sions. The  "Chicago  Times"  was  the  most  bitter  in 
its  attacks,  and  Lydia  not  only  stopped  advertising  in 
its  columns,  but  publicly  posted  its  editor,  Wilbur  F. 
Story,  who  had  a  national  reputation  for  personal  criti- 
cism, as  "  a  liar  and  coward."  This  kind  of  advertising 
exactly  suited  Story,  who  had  become  accustomed  to 
even  worse  epithets  than  these.  The  "  Times  "  kept  up 
the  merry  war,  which  culminated  February  24,  1870. 
On  that  morning  it  published  a  furious  attack  upon 


156  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

the  (l  Blondes  "  in  general,  and  made  suggestive  com- 
ments upon  Lydia  in  particular,  which  she  construed 
as  aspersions  upon  her  character.  She  called  a  council 
of  war  at  once,  and  proposed  personal  chastisement  of 
the  critic  of  the  "  Times."  Her  attorney  said  he  could 
not  defend  her  in  such  case,  as  Mr.  Story,  editor  of 
the  "  Times,"  was  responsible  for  what  appeared  in 
its  columns,  not  its  critic.  The  council  broke  up 
with  the  decision  to  punish  Mr.  Story  on  the  street. 
A  carriage  was  ordered,  and  Lydia  and  Pauline  Mark- 
ham,  with  the  manager  and  press-agent,  were  driven 
south  on  Wabash  Avenue,  where  they  were  sure  to 
meet  Mr.  Story  on  his  way  to  the  office.  They  en- 
countered him  near  Peck  Court,  walking  slowly  along 
with  Mrs.  Story.  Notwithstanding  the  latter's  pres- 
ence, the  four  alighted.  Lydia  rushed  at  him  and 
struck  him  two  or  three  times  with  a  rawhide.  When 
Mr.  Story  tried  to  defend  himself,  he  was  prevented 
by  the  manager  and  press  agent,  but  a  policeman 
near  by  quelled  the  disturbance  and  arrested  the  two 
women.  They  were  taken  before  Justice  Banyon, 
who  imposed  a  nominal  fine  for  disorderly  conduct. 
Banyon  was  not  a  great  jurist,  and  he  may  have  been 
lenient  because  he  was  an  Englishman,  or  he  may  have 
been  dazed  by  the  pretty  blondes.  It  must  be  placed 
to  Banyon's  credit,  however,  that  he  was  an  accom- 
plished restaurateur.  He  was  a  connoisseur  of  English 
mutton-chops  and  had  no  equal  at  that  time  as  a  con- 
structor of  Welsh  rarebits.  What  he  didn't  know 
about  such  things  was  n't  worth  knowing.  And  what 
he  knew  about  law  was  hardly  worth  knowing,  either. 


THE  "BRITISH  BLONDES"  157 

But  Banyon's  after-the-theatre  rarebits  have  never  been 
excelled  in  Chicago. 

The  "Blondes  "  returned  in  1871  somewhat  chastened, 
and  produced  "  Lurline."  The  "  Times  "  ignored  her, 
and  she  accordingly  was  not  so  aggressive  as  before. 
She  caused  but  one  sensation  that  season,  which  turned 
the  tables,  for  a  crazy  woman,  one  Ella  Griffin,  who  had 
been  following  her  about,  trying  to  make  her  acquaint- 
ance, assaulted  her  on  the  street.  The  unhappy  lunatic 
was  arrested  and  sent  to  an  asylum.  In  1872  Lydia 
appeared  again  in  "  Lurline,"  "Ixion,"  "  Sinbad,"  and 
"  The  Forty  Thieves,"  with  Edouin's  "  moral  ballet  " 
from  Paris.  I  ventured  to  interview  her  as  to  the  eth- 
ical qualities  claimed  for  this  ballet.  The  little  woman 
furiously  disclaimed  any  personal  moral  awakening  and 
denounced  her  critics  as  "  Puritan  prudes."  As  they 
did  n't  like  a  moral  English  ballet,  she  thought  she 
would  bring  a  moral  French  one  and  see  how  they  liked 
that.  I  don't  think  they  did,  for  it  had  neither  morals 
nor  grace.  Recalling  those  days,  the  protests  of  press, 
pulpit,  and  public  seem  curious  now,  for  the  most  daring 
audacities  of  these  "  British  Blondes,"  and  of  the  moral 
Paris  ballet  as  well,  were  tame  as  compared  with  those 
displayed  in  the  musical  comedies  of  to-day.  "  Other 
times,  other  customs." 

Opera  bouffe  in  its  short  life  was  merry  and  gay, 
and  sometimes  reckless  in  its  methods,  sometimes  bold 
and  bad.  It  had  its  little  day  and  fizzed  out,  and 
the  smoke  it  left  was  not  very  pleasant.  And  so 
it  will  probably  be  with  the  musical  comedies.  The 
material  out  of  which  they  are  made  is  exhausted.     It 


158  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

should  be  practicable,  however,  to  restore  the  best  of 
the  Offenbach  operas,  like  the  "  Grand  Duchess,"  "  La 
Belle  Helene,"  and  "  Orpheus,"  and  prune  them  of 
indelicacies,  which  would  be  an  easy  task.  The  music 
certainly  is  brilliant,  characteristic,  and  even  unique, 
and  the  text  might  be  made  unobjectionable,  except 
to  the  very  prudish,  by  careful  revision  and  by  elimi- 
nating the  suggestions  with  which  some  performers 
embellish  the  lines.  Offenbach's  music  is  the  music  of 
good  spirits,  bright  wit,  and  wholesome  hilarity,  in- 
fused with  grace,  elegance,  and  legitimate  musical 
color  and  beauty.  It  is  so  unique  that  it  seems  a  pity 
to  lose  it.  Our  playwrights  are  continually  adapting 
French  farces  and  comedies  for  the  American  stage. 
Why  cannot  some  one  do  the  same  for  the  opera  bouffe 
librettos  ?  The  operas  were  presented  here  originally 
just  as  they  were  written  for  French  audiences  and 
with  that  license  of  speech  and  coarse  suggestiveness 
of  action  which  do  not  offend  them.  They  are  very 
showy  and  attractive,  and  the  music  is  always  enjoy- 
able, but  the  spirit  and  motive  are  French.  Might  it 
not  be  possible  to  adapt  these  exotics  to  American  soil 
and  to  prepare  a  book  to  lit  this  delightful  music  without 
cramming  it  with  indelicacy  ? 


CHAPTER  XIII 
SOME    IMPRESARIOS 

HABITS  OF  THE  CLASS  —  BERNARD  ULLMAN  AND  HIS  BAD  QUAL- 
ITIES —  MAURICE  STRAKOSCH  AND  HIS  GOOD  QUALITIES  — 
MAX  MARETZEK'S  LONG  CAREER  —  JACOB  GRAU  AND  MAUR- 
ICE GRAU  —  COMMERCIALISM  VS.  ART  —  THE  ONLY  DE 
VIVO  —  PHILOSOPHICAL  MAX  STRAKOSCH  —  COL.  JAMES 
HENRY     MAPLESON    "  OF    HER    MAJESTY'S" 

THE  operatic  impresario  is  quite  as  interesting 
and  as  distinctive  in  type  as  the  operatic 
artist.  He  is  rarely  if  ever  gregarious.  He 
dwells  apart,  and  is  as  unapproachable  as  the  Grand 
Llama.  The  general  public  is  familiar  with  the  per- 
sonalities and  performances  of  prima  donnas  and 
makes  expensive  acquaintance  with  the  haughty 
minions  of  the  box-office,  but  it  never  comes  in 
contact  with  the  impresario.  He  is  usually  a  very 
exalted  person  with  a  handsome  brilliant  in  his 
cravat  and  a  wrinkled  brow  above  it.  The  contract, 
that  little  fragile  paper  which  holds  him  and  his 
troupe  together,  is  often  the  occasion  of  the  wrinkles, 
for  he  spends  a  large  part  of  his  time  forestalling 
the  efforts  of  cunning  artists  to  make  holes  in  it. 
Maurice  Grau  once  told  me  that  no  contract  was 
safe  from  a  prima  donna  unless  it  was  made  of  cast 
iron  and  put  together  with  copper  rivets.  He  is  also 
the  court  of  last  resort,  to  settle  the  quarrels  of  prima 


160  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

donnas,  stage  scandals,  and  complaints  of  every  de- 
scription. The  box-office,  which  is  the  barometer  of 
operatic  success,  is  always  a  source  of  anxiety  to 
him.  He  is  never  certain  that  his  best  laid  plans 
will  not  be  spoiled  at  the  last  moment  by  sudden  ca- 
price, momentary  jealousy,  or  a  sore  throat,  endorsed 
by  a  convenient  doctor's  certificate,  written  for  the 
usual  consideration  minus  the  expense  of  a  diagnosis. 
These  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  the  impresario's 
brow  is  usually  wrinkled,  and  why  he  elects  to  dwell 
apart,  hard  by  the  Gate  of  a  Hundred  Sorrows.  He 
is  not  often  a  musician.  It  would  be  better  if  he 
were,  for  in  that  case  his  people  could  not  take  ad- 
vantage of  his  ignorance.  I  once  knew  a  manager 
who  by  virtue  of  a  mortgage  came  into  possession 
of  a  Chicago  theatre  and  decided  to  run  it  himself. 
He  went  to  the  theatre  the  next  morning  during 
rehearsal,  and  while  watching  the  orchestra,  noticed 
to  his  great  surprise  that  the  trombonist,  who  had 
a  few  bars  of  rest  in  his  music,  was  not  playing.  He 
instantly  ordered  the  conductor  to  stop,  and  asked 
him  why  that  man  was  not  playing.  The  conductor 
replied  that  he  had  a  rest.  The  new  manager  im- 
patiently exclaimed :  "  Rest !  This  is  no  time  to  rest. 
Let  him  rest  when  he  gets  through.  After  this  you 
see  that  he  plays  all  the  time  and  earns  his  money. 
I  don't  want  any  sojering  in  my  band."  Of  course 
the  manager  lost  prestige  at  once  and  was  soon  willing 
to  have  some  one  else  who  knew  more  about  the 
theatre  manage  for  him.  The  most  successful  im- 
presarios I  have  known  were  more  or  less  acquainted 


BERNARD  ULLMAN'S  BAD  QUALITIES       161 

with  music,  with  one  prominent  exception,  but  as  a 
class  they  are  very  interesting  —  some  of  them,  indeed, 
more  interesting  than  the  stage  people. 

The  impresario  with  whom  I  first  made  acquaint- 
ance was  Bernard  Ullman,  who  brought  some  of  the 
early  concert  troupes  to  Chicago.  Of  all  the  impresarios 
I  have  known,  he  was  the  most  pretentious,  unreliable, 
and  headstrong.  He  had  no  hesitation  about  invent- 
ing the  most  preposterous  romances  concerning  his 
artists,  and  would  get  furiously  indignant  when  news- 
papers declined  to  print  them.  He  was  in  frequent 
quarrels  with  other  managers,  with  his  own  people,  and 
with  the  critics.  He  went  with  Herz,  the  pianist,  to 
Mexico,  as  his  agent;  and  Herz,  unable  to  endure  his 
methods,  discharged  him.  Maurice  Strakosch  boxed 
his  ears  once  in  Havana.  Benedetti  cowhided  him  in 
Baltimore.  The  treasurer  of  the  Astor  Place  Opera 
House  kicked  him  out  of  his  office  because  of  his  insult- 
ing manner.  Theodore  Thomas  has  told  me  of  his  diffi- 
culties with  him  when  he  conducted  opera  for  him  in 
1857.  In  1852  he  wrote  a  pamphlet,  called  "  Ten 
Years  of  Music  in  the  United  States,"  in  which  he 
coarsely  abused  the  American  people  for  their  admira- 
tion of  the  dollar.  One  would  have  supposed  from  this 
pamphlet  that  Ullman  had  devoted  himself  to  art  purely 
for  art's  sake,  when  in  reality  he  had  devoted  himself 
to  art  for  the  dollar's  sake,  and  was  incensed  against 
the  people  because  they  had  not  given  him  more  of  their 
dollars.     I  met  him  only  once  or  twice,  as  he  was  not 

a  frequent  visitor  to  Chicago,  but  upon  these  occasions 

li 


162  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

he  was  the  most  unprepossessing  of  all  the  impresarios 
in  his  personal  manners  and  unendurable  pretensions. 

It  is  pleasant  to  turn  from  him  to  Maurice  Strakosch, 
who  was  a  good  musician,  an  honorable  impresario,  and 
a  courteous  man  of  the  world.  I  first  met  him  when 
he  was  very  agreeably  engaged  in  looking  after  the 
interests  of  the  young  girl,  Adelina  Patti,  afterwards 
his  sister-in-law.  He  was  very  proud  of  her  success,  as 
he  had  been  one  of  her  early  instructors  for  a  short 
time.  He  first  came  to  Chicago  in  1860.  The  troupe, 
a  concert  one,  was  somewhat  magnificently  advertised 
as  comprising  Adelina  Patti,  "  the  most  famous  singer 
in  the  world,"  Amalia  Patti,  "  the  most  accomplished 
contralto  in  the  United  States,"  Brignoli,  "  the  great- 
est tenor  in  the  United  States,"  Ferri,  "the  most  fa- 
mous barytone  in  the  United  States,"  and  Junca,  "  the 
finest  basso  in  the  United  States."  As  Maurice  was  not 
much  given  to  bombastic  announcements,  the  superla- 
tives may  have  been  furnished  by  his  good-natured  and 
optimistic  brother,  Max,  who  in  his  subsequent  career 
as  impresario  was  always  confident  that  every  artist  he 
had  under  contract  was  the  best  in  the  world. 

Maurice  Strakosch,  as  I  have  said,  was  a  well-trained 
musician.  At  the  beginning  of  his  career  he  studied 
vocal  music  with  the  intention  of  fitting  himself  for  the 
operatic  stage,  but  shortly  relinquished  that  purpose, 
and  devoted  himself  to  the  piano  with  such  assiduity 
that  he  made  a  successful  debut  at  Naples  in  1846. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1848  and  played  in 
concerts  under  Maretzek's  management.     He  also  gave 


MAURICE  STRAKOSCH  163 

many  concerts  of  his  own,  and  made  tours  with  Parodi, 
Frezzolini,  La  Grange,  Amalia  Patti,  and  others,  and 
subsequently  embarked  upon  the  hazardous  career  of 
the  impresario.  He  was  not  a  piano  virtuoso,  but  a 
very  refined  and  scholarly  player,  with  much  facility 
and  a  fine  touch.  He  also  wrote  some  light  and  grace- 
ful compositions. 

As  a  man  Maurice  Strakosch  was  always  a  gentle- 
man. At  least,  I  have  never  seen  him  when  he  was  not 
courteous,  refined,  and  dignified.  He  was  quiet  and 
reticent  in  manner,  and  a  manager  whose  statements 
were  rarely  exaggerated.  Perhaps  if  he  had  been 
longer  connected  with  operatic  management  he  might 
have  taken  on  more  of  the  arrogance,  subtlety,  and  love 
of  embellishment  which  characterize  so  many  of  the 
guild.  Still,  he  was  identified  with  it  long  enough  to 
have  formed  some  sensible  opinions  about  opera,  par- 
ticularly the  Italian.  He  was  not  a  believer  in  the  star 
system,  and  thought  it  was  hurtful  to  the  opera.  In 
his  own  charming  "  Recollections  "  he  says :  "  Let  cer- 
tain '  stars  '  disappear  whose  exigency  has  brought 
about  a  deplorable  state  of  things,  and  soon  the  artistic 
sky  will  brighten.  As  long  as  people  continue  to  be- 
lieve that  Italian  representations  are  impossible  without 
a  diva,  directors  in  London,  as  in  Paris,  Vienna,  and 
St.  Petersburg,  can  only  make  useless  efforts  to  raise 
opera,  ruining  themselves  without  benefit  to  art."  He 
was  also  opposed  to  the  payment  of  extravagant  sala- 
ries to  artists,  because  they  are  not  proportionate  to  the 
service  rendered.  His  views  about  salaries,  however, 
may  have  been  colored  by  the  fact  that  he  did  not 


164  MUSICAL   MEMORIES 

manage  high-priced  divas.  They  might  have  changed, 
perhaps,  had  he  had  the  management  of  Adelina  Patti 
in  opera,  though  some  of  the  salaries  she  received  were 
beyond  his  wildest  imaginings.  Maurice  Strakosch  was 
a  good  story-teller  and  a  most  entertaining  talker,  once 
the  ice  was  broken.  He  was  very  fond  of  quoting  a 
saying  of  Berlioz  to  him,  that  there  are  three  classes  of 
singers  :  "  Those  who  have  voices  and  can't  sing ;  those 
who  can  sing  and  have  no  voices  ;  and  those  who  have  no 
voices  and  cannot  sing,  yet  do  sing  all  the  same."  Turn- 
ing to  me  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  he  added :  "  That 
third  class  is  the  most  numerous  in  my  experience." 

Maurice  Strakosch  died  at  Paris  in  1887,  the  city 
which  he  loved  as  passionately  as  did  his  sister-in-law, 
Carlotta  Patti.  His  "  Recollections  "  was  published  in 
the  same  year.  Its  closing  paragraph  has  a  mournful 
interest  in  this  connection : 

"  Maurice  Strakosch  hopes  to  meet  all  his  artists  in  a  better 
world;  there  he  will  have  no  engagements  to  give  them, 
which  will  double  his  pleasure  in  listening  again  to  the  beau- 
tiful voices  which  have  been  his  delight  here  below.  As 
much  for  them  as  for  himself,  however,  he  hopes  that  re- 
union in  the  skies  will  not  come  promptly,  and  he  has  no 
desire  to  hasten  the  happy  moment.  For  the  present  lie  is 
satisfied  to  thank  all  those  whose  talent  has  so  much  contrib- 
uted to  make  less  painful  the  labors  of  his  long  career." 

Max  Maretzek  was  an  interesting  figure  as  an  im- 
presario, though  he  had  more  experience  as  a  con- 
ductor. He  started  out  in  life  with  the  intention  of 
being  a  physician,  but  later  discovered  that  his  bent 


MAX  MARETZEK'S  LONG  CAREER        165 

was  toward  music.  He  studied  composition  and  wrote 
some  light  operas,  which  were  produced  in  London  with 
a  fair  degree  of  success.  They  were  ephemeral,  how- 
ever, as  was  his  "  Sleepy  Hollow,"  a  pretty  trifle,  which 
he  brought  out  in  Chicago.  He  was  a  man  of  irre- 
pressible energy,  of  numerous  failures,  and  deep-seated 
pessimism.  He  began  his  active  musical  life  as  a  con- 
ductor in  Germany,  and  in  1844  had  the  same  position 
at  Her  Majesty's  in  London.  He  came  to  this  country 
in  1848,  and  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  was  engaged 
either  with  the  baton  or  in  the  management  of  operatic 
troupes.  He  began  his  American  career  in  New  York 
at  the  Astor  Place  Opera  House,  the  morning  after  the 
Forrest-Macready  riots,  and  managed  there  for  three 
seasons  —  which  might  have  been  successful  had  it  not 
been  for  the  advent  of  Jenny  Lind,  against  whom  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  contend,  although  he  brought 
Parodi  from  London  expressly  for  that  purpose.  From 
that  time  until  1860  he  was  manager  at  the  Astor  Place 
Opera  House,  the  Academy  of  Music,  and  Niblo's,  and 
during  the  same  period  went  to  Havana  and  Mexico, 
where  he  made  a  good  deal  of  money,  which  he  subse- 
quently lost  in  this  country.  It  was  during  the  same 
period,  I  think,  that  he  introduced  the  following  works : 
"Trovatore,"  "  Rigoletto,"  "The  Prophet,"  "L'Afri- 
caine,"  "  Crispino,"  "  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  "  Traviata," 
"Poliuto,"  Linda,"  "  Favorita,"  and  "  Don  Pasquale." 
It  may  interest  the  reader  to  know  that  the  artists  in 
the  first  performance  of  "Trovatore,"  which  he  pro- 
duced in  1855,  were  Steffanone,  Vestvali,  Brignoli,  Amo- 
dio,  and  Rocco.     After  1860  he  gave  up  management 


166  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

and  wielded  the  baton.  His  career  as  impresario  was 
checkered  with  successes  and  failures,  quarrels  and 
litigations.  Either  his  chorus  or  his  orchestra  was  on 
strike  most  of  the  time.  He  had  wars  with  newspapers 
and  controversies  with  the  critics,  for  he  was  apt  with 
his  pen.  He  had  little  idea  of  the  practical  uses  of 
money,  and  squandered  it  right  and  left.  While  an 
impresario  in  New  York,  a  complimentary  ball  was 
tendered  him  to  help  him  out  of  pecuniary  difficulties. 
Wishing  to  do  something  himself,  he  insisted  upon  pro- 
viding the  flooring,  the  flowers,  and  the  supper,  as  the 
result  of  which  he  found  himself  several  hundred  dol- 
lars deeper  in  debt  than  he  was  before  the  ball.  He 
was  a  thorough  man  of  the  world,  a  fastidious  bon 
vivant,  recklessly  generous,  and  an  incorrigible  fatalist. 
He  draws  a  little  picture  of  himself  in  his  gossipy 
"Crotchets  and  Quavers,"  wherein  he  writes,  in  a  letter 
to  Berlioz,  that  he  belongs  to  all  parties  and  creeds  in 
general  and  none  in  particular ;  that  in  cookery  he  rel- 
ishes the  delicacies  of  the  season,  such  as  halibut,  prairie 
chicken,  and  bear  steak,  and  that  all  ladies  between 
fifteen  and  thirty  are  noticeable.  In  the  same  connec- 
tion he  sets  forth  a  political  epigram  of  curious  signifi- 
cance, namely,  that  all  governments  are  respectable, 
but  he  prefers  that  one  which  gives  the  least  sign  of 
its  existence.  But  despite  all  his  peculiarities,  his  pes- 
simism and  fatalism,  he  was  a  cheery  soul  after  the 
clouds  had  rolled  by,  a  delightful  companion,  an  excel- 
lent, vivacious  writer,  a  man  of  quick  wit  and  ready 
information,  and  as  honest  a  manager  as  ever  served 
the  public.     He  died  in  1897,  leaving,  like  nearly  all 


JACOB  GRAU  167 

other  impresarios,  nothing  to  show  for  his  long  career 
but  his  reputation ;  but  his  reputation  was  that  of  an 
honest,  sincere  servant  of  the  public,  but,  unlike  some 
of  his  class,  poorly  remunerated. 

Jacob  Grau,  whose  name  is  very  familiar  in  oper- 
atic annals,  was  probably  better  known  to  opera-goers 
than  the  other  managers,  as  he  allowed  himself  to 
be  seen  occasionally  and  his  name  was  always  writ 
large  on  posters  and  in  advertisements.  He  presented 
himself  quite  as  conspicuously  as  his  artists,  so  that 
"J.  Grau,"  in  association  with  operatic  affairs,  came 
to  be  as  familiar  as  a  household  word.  He  made 
many  artistic  pretensions ;  indeed,  from  the  fervor  with 
which  he  did  so,  one  might  infer  that  he  was  sacri- 
ficing himself  on  the  altar  of  art  for  the  sake  of  the 
people,  and  that  he  was  spending  his  money  without 
a  pang  in  order  that  the  public  should  have  Italian 
opera  performed  as  the  composers  desired.  He  may 
have  been  honest  in  this.  He  may  have  deluded 
himself  into  thinking  that  he  cared  but  little  for  the 
dollars,  and  that  "  J.  Grau "  was  satisfied  with  con- 
tributing to  the  progress  of  art.  But  if  such  was 
the  case,  "  J.  Grau "  had  a  singular  way  of  showing 
it,  for  his  methods  indicated  a  very  commercial  soul. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  he  honestly  tried  to  give  people 
the  worth  of  their  money ;  but  if  the  figures  on  the 
box  sheet  showed  a  balance  against  him,  he  mani- 
fested unmistakable  signs  of  distress.  When  business 
was  good,  he  never  appeared  in  newspaper  offices,  but 
sent  his  nephew ;  but  when  business  was  bad,  he  was 


168  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

a  frequent  visitor,  and  long  and  piteous  were  his  tales 
of  woe,  and  most  sorrowful  were  his  complaints  of 
the  ingratitude  of  the  public  after  all  that  he  had 
done  for  it.  Then  dark  hints  would  follow  that  it 
might  be  his  last  season,  for  he  was  convinced  that 
Chicago  did  not  appreciate  his  efforts.  When  busi- 
ness was  bad,  "J.  Grau"  would  appear  near  the 
theatre  entrance  indifferently  attired,  wandering  about 
with  dejected  mien,  one  eye  furtively  watching  the 
box-office,  and  his  whole  bearing  seemingly  expressing 
personal  hopelessness  and  pecuniary  distress.  On  the 
other  hand,  when  business  was  good  and  crowds  were 
nocking  to  the  opera  like  doves  to  the  windows,  and 
the  box-office  was  besieged,  behold  "J.  Grau"  flitting 
about  in  his  crush  hat,  immaculate  tie,  and  super- 
lative evening  habit,  his  face  wreathed  with  a  con- 
tinuous performance  of  smiles  and  an  expression  of 
serenest  satisfaction.  "  J.  Grau's  "  hat  was  at  any  time 
an  infallible  index  of  business. 

Most  impresarios  have  trouble  with  their  prima 
donnas  or  tenors,  but  "  J.  Grau  "  escaped.  I  do  not 
know  how  he  managed  it,  but  possibly  he  recognized 
that  they  were  the  essential  factors  of  bis  enterprise 
and  that  he  could  not  afford  to  alienate  them.  I 
suspect  he  used  to  make  the  chorus  people  suffer 
vicariously  for  the  offences  of  the  principals,  after 
the  manner  of  the  old  English  sovereigns,  who  kept 
an  urchin  from  the  streets  in  readiness  to  suffer  chas- 
tisements for  the  misbehavior  of  the  princes.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  "  J.  Grau "  had  much  trouble  with 
his  chorus  people,  and  they  were  of  the  kind  to  make 


MAURICE  GRAU  169 

it.  No  manager  ever  brought  together  a  more  ven- 
erable aggregation  of  signoras  and  signors  than  he. 
Some  of  them  must  have  sung  with  Persiani  and 
Malibran,  and  others  may  have  been  on  the  boards 
with  Cuzzoni  and  Bordoni.  He  used  to  say  that 
some  of  the  chorus  were  harmless,  good-natured 
growlers  as  long  as  he  kept  them  well  supplied  with 
macaroni,  but  that  the  others  were  a  mob  of  chronic 
fault-finders,  ready  to  revolt  upon  the  slightest  pre- 
text, and  most  ready  to  rise  just  before  the  curtain 
rose,  and  that  the  only  way  to  be  sure  of  a  perform- 
ance was  to  kill  one  of  them  whenever  two  or  three 
were  seen  with  their  heads  together,  otherwise  you 
would  have  to  pay  them  whatever  they  demanded 
and  kill  yourself.  But  "J.  Grau"  after  all  brought 
many  fine  artists  to  Chicago  and  produced  opera  in 
good  style.  It  was  trying,  however,  to  endure  his 
homilies  on  art  and  his  assurances  of  willingness  for 
self-sacrifice. 

"J.  Grau"  was  not  so  sincere  as  Maurice  Grau, 
whom  I  mention  a  little  out  of  chronological  order 
because  he  was  Jacob's  nephew.  His  methods  were  rad- 
ically different  from  those  of  his  uncle.  When  I  first 
met  Maurice  Grau,  he  was  his  uncle's  advance  agent. 
He  served  him  also  as  ticket  taker,  ticket  seller,  and 
in  nearly  every  other  subordinate  capacity,  and  during 
his  apprenticeship  learned  more  about  managing  opera 
than  "  J.  Grau "  ever  knew.  His  experiences  led 
him  to  the  conclusion  that  opera  was  purely  a  busi- 
ness proposition,  and  that  so  far  as  the  manager  was 
concerned  it  should  be  produced  not  from  the  musical 


170  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

but  from  the  commercial  standpoint.  He  was  frank 
enough  to  admit  that  he  presented  opera  not  as  a 
luxury  for  others  at  his  expense,  or  as  an  agency  for 
elevating  the  musical  condition  of  the  public,  but  as 
an  investment  for  the  profit  of  himself  and  the  stock- 
holders. Once,  when  asked  his  opinion  of  high  art,  he 
replied :  "  I  think  it 's  the  art  to  make  money,  and  the 
higher  the  bank  account,  the  higher  the  art." 

Maurice  Grau  was  the  most  successful  of  all  the 
impresarios,  though  he  knew  little  about  music  and 
was  more  or  less  at  the  mercy  of  his  singers.  He 
was  associated  with  Abbey  and  Schoeffler  for  a  long 
time  and  was  sole  manager  for  about  ten  years. 
During  these  periods  he  introduced  to  the  American 
public  the  De  Reszkes,  Calve,  Schumann-Heink,  Sem- 
brich,  Eames,  Melba,  Ternina,  Gadski,  Nordica,  Rubin- 
stein, Wieniawski,  Aimee,  Capoul,  Sarasate,  Joseph 
Hofmann,  besides  some  of  the  great  dramatic  artists, 
among  them  Salvini,  Bernhardt,  Coquelin,  Rejane, 
and  Henry  Irving.  Personally  he  was  the  least  pre- 
tentious of  men.  He  was  courteous  and  urbane  in 
his  relations  to  others,  but  very  quiet  and  reserved. 
As  far  as  the  expression  of  feelings  is  concerned,  he 
was  literally  a  sealed  book,  for,  if  he  was  elated  or 
depressed,  if  he  was  making  money  or  losing  money, 
he  gave  no  sign.  He  was  always  studiously  polite 
in  his  greeting,  but  made  no  more  talk  than  was 
necessary.  He  was  lenient  in  management,  especially 
with  his  prima  donnas,  even  when  they  violated  their 
contracts  by  declining  to  sing,  nor  did  he  interfere 
with     them    more    than     was    absolutely    necessary. 


THE  ONLY  DE  VIVO  171 

Though  not  a  musician,  he  rarely  made  mistakes  in 
the  selection  of  artists  or  in  the  arrangement  of  a 
repertory.  He  avoided  misunderstandings  with  news- 
papers, and  seldom  if  ever  disappointed  the  public. 
The  best  evidence  of  his  success  is  the  fact  that  when 
his  health  broke  down  from  too  much  work  and  too 
little  exercise  he  retired  with  a  snug  fortune,  while 
his  uncle  retired  without  anything,  and  his  old  part- 
ner, Abbey,  died  in  poverty.  Shrewd  management 
of  opera  and  shrewd  investments  in  Wall  Street  paid 
him  well.  He  deserved  his  success  as  one  of  the  best 
and  most  judicious  of  managers. 

I  must  now  go  back  a  few  years  and  present  Diego 
De  Vivo  to  my  readers.  He  had  been  everything  by 
turn  and  nothing  long.  He  was  a  child  of  sunny 
Italy,  but  sunny  Italy  did  not  appreciate  his  rare 
qualities,  or  it  would  not  have  allowed  him  to  leave, 
much  less  expatriate  him  as  a  dangerous  agitator. 
This  nervous,  restless  Jack-in-the-box  at  first  decided 
he  would  be  a  priest,  but  the  religious  life  was  too 
quiet  for  him ;  then  he  studied  architecture.  Blue 
prints  did  not  amuse  him  long,  for  we  next  find  him 
in  the  army,  teaching  gymnastics  to  his  fellow  sol- 
diers. He  should  have  been  well  fitted  for  this  kind 
of  work,  for  he  was  as  lithe  as  the  Human  Frog  and 
active  as  a  whirling  dervish.  Then,  with  a  versatility 
wellnigh  unintelligible,  he  appeared  as  a  book  agent. 
During  his  canvassing,  however,  he  sold  books  which 
objected  to  the  government,  whereupon  the  government 
objected  to  him  and  invited  him  to  leave  the  country. 


172  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

He  stayed  not  upon  the  order  of  his  going  and  came 
to  New  York  in  1854.  Finding  that  city,  even  in 
those  early  days,  flooded  with  book  agents,  he  picked 
up  a  living  for  a  time  by  teaching  Italian,  and  also 
had  the  good  luck  to  meet  with  Brignoli,  who  em- 
ployed him  as  his  secretary.  This  gave  him  an  oppor- 
tunity to  meet  artists,  and  among  them  was  Gazzaniga, 
who  was  so  attracted  by  him  that  she  employed  him  as 
her  agent.     This  was  in  1860. 

I  was  seated  at  my  desk  one  fine  morning  in  that 
year  when  De  Vivo  appeared  before  me  —  a  swarthy, 
black-eyed,  very  erect  man,  voluble  of  tongue,  and  with 
a  smile  which  reached  from  ear  to  ear.  His  nervous 
contortions,  abundant  grimaces,  expressive  gestures  of 
hands  and  shrugs  of  shoulders  as  he  introduced  himself, 
reminded  me  of  Figaro,  in  the  "  Factotum  "  scene,  while 
his  personal  appearance  suggested  Captain  Kycld  — 
the  suggestion  being  heightened  by  his  fierce  blood- 
red  cravat,  in  which  was  inserted  a  skull  and  cross- 
bones  stickpin.  He  visited  me  many  times  afterwards 
in  the  interests  of  Kellogg,  Parepa-Rosa,  Wachtel, 
Aimee,  Di  Murska,  and  others,  but  he  was  always 
the  same  De  Vivo,  the  same  fascinating  factotum 
and  gentlemanly  pirate,  whether  on  the  heights  of 
success  or  in  the  depths  of  failure.  I  never  saw  his 
flow  of  spirits  checked  but  once.  This  was  in  1872. 
He  had  selected  Wachtel  as  the  winning  number  of 
the  operatic  lottery,  and  was  sure  of  success  because 
it  was  the  first  season  of  opera  after  the  Big  Fire. 
But  Wachtel  had  been  hard  gripped  by  tonsilitis  as  the 
penalty  of  much  shouting,  and  the  season  was  abruptly 


THE  ONLY  DE  VIVO  173 

ended.  Poor  De  Vivo,  whose  ticket  drew  a  blank, 
came  to  see  me,  and  for  once  he  was  the  picture  of 
despair.  The  fierceness  of  the  pirate  and  the  acro- 
batic mirthfulness  of  Figaro  had  disappeared.  His 
only  exclamation  was :  "  My  dear  friend  !  no  Wachtel, 
no  Postilion,  no  opera !  all  gone !  De  Vivo  has  lost  and 
must  go  back  to  New  York  !  Is  it  not  hard  ?  Good- 
bye, my  dear  friend !  But  De  Vivo  will  come  back 
some  time  and  be  happy  again."  I  bade  him  good-bye 
and  wished  him  good  luck,  and  as  he  turned  with  a  loud 
6igh  he  looked  the  image  of  despair.  His  grief  prob- 
ably did  not  last  long,  not  farther  than  Michigan  City, 
for  nothing  could  keep  De  Vivo  down  any  length  of 
time.  He  had  the  saving  grace  of  humor,  a  harmless 
vanity,  and  a  sunny  nature,  for  his  piratical  aspect 
belied  him,  that  enabled  him  to  rise  superior  to  any 
bufferings  of  fortune.  It  was  a  rare  treat  to  talk 
with  him  when  he  was  in  his  gayest  moods,  for  he 
had  an  endless  stock  of  good  stories  and  his  com- 
ments upon  artists  were  always  interesting.  He  had 
a  ready  wit,  and  sometimes  it  was  caustic,  as  when 
he  was  asked  if  anything  could  be  stronger  than  Carl 
Formes'  voice.  He  instantly  replied :  "  Yes !  his  good 
opinion  of  himself."  But  De  Vivo  had  a  good  opinion 
of  himself  also.  At  the  close  of  one  of  his  seasons, 
when  Parepa-Rosa  was  about  to  return  to  New  York, 
he  was  asked  if  she  would  sing  with  him  the  next 
season.  He  promptly  replied :  "  Without  a  De  Vivo 
there  can  be  no  Parepa."  Such  faith  in  oneself  ought 
to  move  mountains,  but  in  the  end  it  availed  De  Vivo 
little,  for  he  died  in  1898  so  poor  that  he  had  to  be 


174  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

buried  by  the  Artists'  Fund.  I  think  De  Vivo  made 
a  mistake  in  trying  to  be  a  manager,  for  he  was  a 
born  actor,  and  had  he  been  on  the  stage  with  his 
imitative  powers,  his  keen  sense  of  humor,  his  over- 
flowing vitality,  and  mercurial  disposition,  he  might 
have  been  one  of  the  comedians  of  the  ages. 

Max  Strakosch,  brother  of  Maurice,  was  associated 
with  De  Vivo,  as  well  as  "  J.  Grau,"  in  some  of  his  un- 
dertakings. He  was  the  Mercutio  of  the  impresarios. 
His  imagination  was  limitless  and  picturesque.  His 
disposition  was  sunny,  and  he  was  as  full  of  giggles  as 
a  girl.  Never  was  there  a  more  cheery  optimist.  I 
never  met  him  that  his  face  was  not  irradiated  with 
smiles,  that  he  did  not  have  the  finest  of  all  his  companies 
with  him,  and  that  everything  was  not  rosy.  He  was 
very  democratic,  and  did  not  isolate  himself  after  the 
manner  of  other  impresarios.  He  liked  to  have  people 
know  he  was  Max  Strakosch,  brother  of  Maurice,  and 
brother-in-law  of  Adelina  Patti.  His  letters  and  his 
interviews  abounded  with  the  most  affable  insincerity 
and  extraordinary  embellishment,  which  he  fancied 
would  not  be  questioned  because  he  believed  his  state- 
ments were  correct.  He  did  not  mean  to  mislead  or 
deceive.  His  imagination  was  simply  too  strong  for  his 
sense  of  the  verities.  He  was  also  a  cheerful  philoso- 
pher, unspoiled  by  success  and  undismayed  by  failure. 
It  is  told  of  him  that  one  day,  looking  over  his  books, 
he  found  himself  at  the  season's  close  $40,000  out  of 
pocket.  His  assets  were  seven  dollars  in  currency,  and 
a  box  of  matches  which  he  carried  about  with  him 
as  a  cigarette   convenience.     He  calmly  reviewed  the 


PHILOSOPHICAL  MAX  STRAKOSCH  175 

financial  situation,  but  could  reach  no  decision  as  to  his 
next  move.  Finally  he  concluded  to  let  his  matches  de- 
cide for  him.  He  would  throw  them  upon  the  table,  and 
if  there  was  an  even  number  of  them,  he  would  go  on ; 
if  an  odd  number,  he  would  suspend.  The  number 
was  even.  He  at  once  resumed,  looked  fate  squarely  in 
the  face,  made  new  engagements,  and  the  next  season 
had  a  handsome  balance  in  his  favor.  His  advertise- 
ments, in  which  his  imagination  had  full  play,  were  ex- 
traordinary, as  I  have  already  shown  in  one  instance. 
Indeed  the  ethical  significance  of  an  "  ad  "  never  oc- 
curred to  him.  Once,  when  asked  why  he  had  an- 
nounced several  unimportant  persons,  to  create  the 
impression  he  had  a  very  large  troupe,  he  replied  that 
they  were  not  engaged.  "  But,"  said  his  questioner,  "  if 
you  want  to  advertise  people  whom  you  have  not  en- 
gaged, why  not  select  names  that  will  help  you, — Patti, 
Nilsson,  or  Kellogg  ?  "  His  naive  reply  was  that  the 
people  would  want  to  see  them,  but  these  people  nobody 
would  care  for.  It  would  not  be  fair  to  infer  from  this 
that  his  companies  were  full  of  dummies.  He  brought 
out  many  excellent  troupes,  and  his  seasons  were  very 
enjoyable.  His  1873  company,  which  included  Nilsson, 
Maresi,  Torriani,  Campanini,  Capoul,  Maurel,  Del  Puente, 
Nannetto,  and  Scolari,  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  that 
ever  sang  in  this  country.  Among  other  artists  who 
were  members  of  his  companies  were  Kellogg,  Carlotta 
Patti,  Annie  Louise  Cary,  Albani,  Tietjens,  Lucca,  Di 
Murska,  Lagrange,  Adelaide  Phillips,  Gazzaniga,  Gassier, 
Brignoli,  Susini,  Jamet,  and  Formes.  Poor  Max's  last 
days  were  clouded  with  great  physical  suffering  and  a 


176  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

breach-of-promise  suit,  but,  for  the  latter,  I  fancy  the 
promise  of  marriage  must  have  been  but  one  more 
flight  of  his  vivid  imagination.  Its  insincerity  must 
have  been  so  affably  apparent,  it  is  surprising  that 
the  maiden,  however  lacerated  and  vindictive  she  may 
have  been,  did  not  at  once  release  him  without  thought 
of  pecuniary  compensation.  And  I  also  fancy  that  he 
bore  his  last  sufferings  with  the  same  kind  of  cheerful 
philosophy  that  had  characterized  him  throughout  his 
career. 

I  must  draw  my  memories  of  the  impresarios  to  its 
close  with  some  reference  to  Colonel  Mapleson,  — 
Colonel  James  Henry  Mapleson  of  Her  Majesty's  The- 
atre, as  his  letter-heads  announced  him.  The  Colonel 
received  his  military  title  from  H.  R.  H.  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, who  graciously  permitted  him  to  do 
duty  in  the  volunteer  service,  participate  in  battalion 
drills,  and  occasionally  command  one  of  the  volunteer 
regiments.  The  Colonel  also  participated  in  the  active 
duty  of  assisting  at  officers'  mess,  and  performed  it 
with  alacrity  and  skill,  as  he  was  a  valiant  trencher- 
man. Apart  from  his  military  service,  I  have  his  own 
authority  for  stating  that  he  had  been  student,  critic, 
violinist,  composer,  concert  director,  and  musical  agent 
before  he  became  impresario,  though  his  achievements 
in  these  various  departments  could  not  have  been  very 
surprising.  It  is  only  as  impresario  that  Colonel  James 
Henry  Mapleson  of  Her  Majesty's  appears  interesting. 
He  was  the  typical  Englishman,  tall,  broad-shouldered, 
well  made,  rosy  faced,  military  whiskered,  and  military 


COLONEL  JAMES  HENRY  MAPLESON  177 

in  his  bearing.  His  career  had  been  thickly  strewn 
with  quarrels,  debts,  litigations,  and  bankruptcies  when 
I  first  met  him,  and  yet  they  seemed  to  have  left  no 
scars.  He  was  very  pompous  and  haughty,  as  became 
one  who  had  served  Her  Majesty  both  with  sword  and 
fiddle  bow.  As  he  stood  before  me  for  the  first  time  in 
my  little  office  he  seemed  to  fill  it.  He  laid  his  card 
upon  my  desk,  and  as  I  read  the  name  with  its  prefix 
and  suffixes  I  felt  that  I  was  in  the  atmosphere  of  roy- 
alty. He  was  quite  gracious,  however,  on  this  occasion, 
as  he  wished  favors.  The  Colonel  had  three  forms  of 
address.  If  he  were  seeking  favors,  it  was  "  My  dear 
fellow,"  with  a  conventional  smile ;  if  he  were  on  good 
terms  with  you  and  the  occasion  was  social,  it  was  "  My 
boy,"  with  measured  dignity;  if  he  were  not  on  good 
terms,  it  was  "  Sir,"  very  haughtily.  Upon  this  occa- 
sion I  was  addressed  as  "  My  dear  fellow."  Two  or 
three  days  afterward,  a  criticism  having  displeased  him, 
he  stalked  into  my  room  and  threw  his  card  upon  my 
desk,  with  the  words,  "  Take  my  card  to  the  editor- 
in-chief,  sir."  The  worm  thus  addressed  turned  and 
replied,  "  Take  it  yourself,  sir."  But  waiving  the 
Colonel's  pomposity  and  imperiousness,  he  was  enter- 
taining after  all,  and  much  could  be  forgiven  him,  for 
never  before  was  impresario  so  harried  by  prima  donnas, 
pestered  by  their  husbands,  persecuted  by  creditors  and 
musicians,  and  chased  by  duns  as  Colonel  James  Henry 
Mapleson  of  Her  Majesty's;  and  yet  troubles  did  not 
disturb  him,  or,  if  they  did,  he  showed  no  sign  of  it. 
He  assumed  debts  as  if  they  were  every-day  trifles,  and 
jocundly  skipped  through  bankruptcies.     He  was  in  the 

1-2 


178  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

operatic  business  twenty  years  or  more  at  Her  Majesty's 
and  Drury  Lane  in  London,  and  in  the  intervals  used  to 
bring  his  troupes  over  here,  and  excellent  ones  they 
were.  Chicago  should  always  hold  him  in  grateful 
memory  by  reason  of  his  operatic  festival  in  1855. 
For  this  gala  occasion  a  temporary  opera  house  was 
erected  in  the  north  end  of  the  Exposition  Building  on 
the  Lake  Front,  which  is  so  delightfully  connected  with 
musical  memories.  The  Colonel's  chorus  was  increased 
to  three  hundred  and  the  orchestra  to  one  hundred, 
with  the  veteran  Arditi  at  its  head.  The  company  was 
an  imposing  one,  including  Adelina  Patti,  Fursch-Madi, 
Dotti,  Scalchi.  Steinbach,  and  Nevada ;  the  tenors, 
Gianinni,  Rinaldini,  Cardinali,  Vicini,  Bialetto,  and 
Nicolini;  the  barytones,  De  Anna  and  De  Pasqualis; 
and  the  bassos,  Cherubini,  Caracciolo,  Manni,  De  Vas- 
chetti,  and  Serbolini.  During  the  two  weeks'  season, 
"  Semiramide,"  "  L'Africaine,"  "  Mirella,"  "  Aida," 
"  Lucia  di  Lamermoor,"  "  Martha,"  "  Der  FreischUtz," 
"  La  Sonnambula,"  "  II  Trovatore,"  "  Puritani," 
"  Faust,"  and  "  Lohengrin  "  were  produced  in  the 
order  named.  Such  crowds,  such  enthusiasm,  Chicago 
had  never  known  before,  and  Colonel  James  Henry 
Mapleson  of  Her  Majesty's  had  never  seen  their  like. 
Every  one  effervesced  with  hilarity.  The  Colonel  was 
called  before  the  curtain  on  the  last  night,  and  ex- 
pressed his  feelings  with  difficulty  and  dignity.  The 
Opera  Festival  Association  engrossed  for  him  a  special 
expression  of  thanks,  and  musical  committees  and  civic 
bodies  passed  resolutions  of  admiration  and  gratitude. 
The  mayor,  Carter  H.  Harrison  the  elder,  whose  love 


COLONEL  JAMES  HENRY  MAPLESON  179 

of  music  is  spread  abroad  in  the  otherwise  dry  pages 
of  the  "  Congressional  Record,"  gave  the  Colonel  the 
freedom  of  the  city,  which  the  Colonel  declared  was  a 
compliment  which  had  never  been  tendered  to  an  Eng- 
lishman before  and  never  would  be  again.  And  then 
in  an  outburst  of  enthusiasm  the  Colonel  made  his 
finest  bow,  and  assured  the  mayor  that  "  Chicago  will 
within  a  very  few  years  become  the  first  city  in  the 
United  States  and  probably  in  the  world."  It  was  a 
festive  time  for  the  Colonel,  and  he  must  have  looked 
back  many  times  with  longing  as  the  train  swiftly  bore 
him  away  into  regions  where  he  must  encounter  fresh 
troubles.  But  six  years  later  Colonel  James  Henry 
Mapleson  of  Her  Majesty's  died  and  went  to  that  better 
land  where  "  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling." 


CHAPTER   XIV 
THEODORE  THOMAS 

EARLY  VISITS  TO  CHICAGO  —  OUR  FIRST  MEETING  —  HIS  HON- 
ESTY OF  CHARACTER  —  A  LOYAL  FRIEND  —  HIS  BROAD 
CULTURE  —  LOVE  OF  CONVIVIALITY  —  AVERSION  TO  SENTI- 
MENTALISE! —  THREE  DISAPPOINTMENTS  —  COLUMBIAN  EX- 
POSITION —  CINCINNATI  COLLEGE  OF  MUSIC  —  AMERICAN 
OPERA  COMPANY  —  NOTABLE  SAYINGS 

THE  career  of  Theodore  Thomas  as  an  orchestra 
conductor  is  so  well  known  that  my  memories  of 
him  will  be  mainly  confined  to  the  man  rather 
than  the  musician.  The  whole  country  will  remember 
him  with  baton  in  hand,  and  what  he  accomplished  as 
the  pioneer  and  promoter  of  higher  music,  but  few  knew 
him  on  the  human  side  —  his  personal  traits,  his  strong 
characteristics,  his  wide  culture,  his  loyal  friendships, 
and  the  warm,  kindly  heart  that  beat  beneath  an  ap- 
parently austere  exterior;  a  heart  that  felt  sympathy 
with  suffering  humanity,  and  with  the  smallest  creature 
in  the  Felsengarten  summer  home  which  he  loved  so 
dearly.  I  must  preface  this,  however,  with  a  brief 
statement  of  his  earliest  visits  to  Chicago,  for  very  few 
persons  have  any  knowledge  of  them. 

Theodore  Thomas  came  to  Chicago  in  1854  as  first 
violinist  in  a  small  orchestra  accompanying  a  concert 
troupe  composed  of  Ole  Bull,  Amalia  Patti,  contralto, 
Maurice  Strakosch,  pianist,  Bertucca  Maretzek,  harpist. 


EARLY  VISITS  TO  CHICAGO  181 

In  October,  1858,  he  made  his  second  visit,  in  the  same 
capacity,  in  a  concert  troupe  directed  by  Carl  An- 
schutz,  under  the  management  of  Ullman.  It  included 
Madame  Schuman,  soprano ;  Carl  Formes,  basso ;  and 
Ernest  Perring,  tenor.  The  orchestra,  though  it  num- 
bered only  twenty-one  players,  was  such  a  remarkable 
one  that  its  members  should  be  placed  on  record.  It  in- 
cluded :  First  violins,  Thomas,  Mosenthal,  and  Romani ; 
second  violins,  Besig,  Bernstein,  and  Launn ;  viola, 
Matzka;  'cello,  Bergmann;  double  basses,  Herzog  and 
Arnoldi ;  flute,  Siedler ;  oboe,  Meyer ;  clarinets,  Kiefer 
and  Amici ;  bassoons,  Kuhlman  and  Bartoli ;  French 
horns,  Schmitz  and  Kullinger ;  trumpet,  Lacroix ;  trom- 
bone, Letsch;  kettledrums,  Haberkorn.  Two  concerts 
were  given,  and  in  the  second  one  (October  7)  Mr. 
Thomas  played  Vieuxtemps's  "Reverie."  In  March, 
1859,  he  was  in  Chicago  again  as  solo  violinist  and 
conductor,  the  troupe  including  Carl  Formes,  Madame 
Laborde,  soprano,  Madamoiselle  Poinsot,  alto,  and 
Gustav  Satter,  pianist.  In  the  first  concert  Mr. 
Thomas  played  the  "  Elegy  of  Tears,"  and  in  the 
third  concert  led  the  Mendelssohn  Society,  of  which 
Adolph  W.  Dohn  was  director,  in  a  performance  of 
Titl's  "  Consecration  of  Solomon's  Temple." 

Mr.  Thomas  did  not  visit  Chicago  again  until  1869, 
when  he  came  with  his  own  orchestra.  It  was  an  ideal 
concert  orchestra  of  forty  pieces,  perfectly  trained,  and 
every  man  of  them  an  artist  in  his  way.  His  great  sym- 
phony orchestra  of  a  later  period  never  did  finer  work 
than  that  little  band  of  Central  Park  Garden  players, 
so   far   as   precision,    beautiful    shading,    and    quality 


182  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

are  concerned.  I  recall  my  first  meeting  with  him  on 
that  occasion  as  vividly  as  if  it  were  but  yesterday. 
He  was  then  in  his  thirty-fourth  year,  full  of  courage, 
hope,  and  ambition,  and  with  a  capacity  for  work  which 
was  extraordinary.  I  was  presented  to  him  by  Mr. 
Dohn,  a  mutual  friend.  His  greeting  was  cordial  but 
characteristic  of  the  man.  He  was  very  glad  to  see 
me,  but  I  must  not  expect  him  to  call  upon  me,  as  he 
was  a  very  busy  man.  Besides,  he  never  went  into 
newspaper  offices.  He  never  read  what  they  wrote,  as 
he  knew  his  work  thoroughly.  This  brusque  greeting 
shows  the  supreme  confidence  he  had  in  himself,  and  yet 
never  was  a  musician  more  free  from  personal  vanity. 
He  was  master  of  his  art  and  master  of  himself.  A 
musician  once  said  to  him  in  a  discussion,  "  Perhaps  you 
are  right."  His  terse  reply  was :  "  I  know  I  am  right, 
or  I  should  not  have  expressed  the  opinion."  The 
friendship  begun  on  that  far-away  day  in  November, 
1869,  remained  unbroken  until  the  day  of  his  death,  in 
January,  1905.  Our  relations  were  so  intimate,  and  I 
know  his  wishes  and  preferences  so  well,  that  I  am  sure 
I  shall  not  go  contrary  to  them  in  anything  I  may  say 
concerning  him  as  a  man.  Upon  one  occasion  he  said 
to  me :  "  Some  things  might  be  left  unsaid  until  I  am 
gone."     Now  that  he  has  gone  they  may  be  said. 

One  of  the  most  striking  traits  of  Mr.  Thomas's  char- 
acter was  his  rugged  honesty,  and  this  not  merely  in  re- 
gard to  his  musical  work,  but  as  affecting  every  action  in 
his  life.  In  the  attainment  of  his  musical  ideals,  indeed, 
he  was  never  diverted  from  his  lofty  purpose  by  disap- 
pointments, disasters,  opposition,  or  misunderstanding. 


Theodore  Thomas 


MR.  THOMAS'S  HONESTY  OF  CHARACTER  183 

He  kept  his  ideals  to  the  last,  and  unquestionably  he 
sacrificed  his  life  to  them.  He  was  so  firmly  grounded 
upon  moral  and  spiritual  honesty  that  he  could  not 
endure  even  the  appearance  of  dishonesty  in  others. 
He  said  to  me  once,  speaking  of  a  very  prominent  man 
who  had  acted  toward  him  in  an  underhanded  way: 
"  I  do  not  allow  that  man  to  speak  to  me."  He  dis- 
missed such  persons  from  his  acquaintance  just  as  he 
dismissed  players  from  his  orchestra  who  were  guilty 
of  trickery,  no  matter  how  well  they  might  play.  Only 
once  do  I  remember  his  giving  way  to  discouragement, 
and  then  only  for  a  moment.  It  was  during  the 
memorable  Summer  Night  concerts  in  Chicago.  The 
city  was  in  a  disturbed  condition,  owing  to  the  great 
railroad  strike.  The  concerts  were  thinly  attended. 
At  one  end  of  the  huge  Exposition  Building  was  the 
concert  hall.  The  other  end  was  occupied  by  mil- 
itary companies  waiting  for  an  emergency  call.  I 
reached  the  building  one  evening  some  time  before 
the  hour  of  opening,  and  saw  Mr.  Thomas  sitting  at 
a  table,  with  his  head  upon  his  hands.  He  beckoned 
me  to  come  to  him.  I  inquired  if  he  was  ill.  "  I  'm 
a  little  blue  to-night,  old  friend,"  he  replied.  "  I  have 
been  thinking,  as  I  sit  here,  that  I  have  been  swinging 
the  baton  fifteen  years,  and  I  do  not  see  that  the  people 
are  any  farther  ahead  from  where  I  began,  and  as  far 
as  my  pockets  are  concerned  I  am  not  as  well  off."  He 
paused  a  minute,  then  added  :  "  But  I  am  going  to  keep 
on  if  it  takes  another  fifteen  years."  I  have  mentioned 
this  incident  in  connection  with  his  honesty  because  he 
kept  on  until  he  had  paid  every  dollar  of  arrears  to 


184  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

his  old  orchestra  long  after  he  was  legally  obliged  to  do 
so.  There  was  no  power  which  could  make  him  lower 
his  standards  to  gain  popularity.  No  commercial  in- 
ducements were  strong  enough  to  make  him  prostitute 
his  art,  as  was  conspicuously  demonstrated  by  his  action 
while  musical  director  at  the  Columbian  Exposition,  of 
which  I  shall  speak  in  this  chapter. 

Another  characteristic  trait  of  Mr.  Thomas  was  his 
loyalty  as  a  friend.  He  was  cautious  about  admitting 
any  one  to  his  confidence.  He  was  so  self-reliant  that 
it  almost  seemed  as  if  he  never  craved  sympathy  or 
affection,  nor  was  he  demonstrative  in  his  professions 
toward  friends ;  but  when  once  he  made  a  friend,  he 
never  lost  him  through  any  fault  of  his  own.  He  car- 
ried out  to  the  letter  Polonius's  injunction  to  Laertes : 

"  Those  friends  thou  hast,  and  their  adoption  tried, 
Grapple  them  to  thy  soul  with  hoops  of  steel." 

An  instance  of  his  loyalty  to  an  old  friend  was  shown 
in  the  last  days  of  Carl  Bergmann.  He  and  Bergmann 
had  been  intimately  associated  in  the  Mason-Thomas 
chamber  concerts.  Each  recognized  the  musical  ability 
of  the  other.  They  were  in  fact  the  pioneers  who  pre- 
pared the  way  for  others.  They  did  the  hard,  unprofit- 
able work  of  breaking  the  ground  from  which  others 
have  reaped  rich  harvests.  In  time,  however,  Berg- 
mann grew  jealous  of  Thomas.  He  was  a  splendid 
musician,  but  personally  a  weak  man.  He  put  many 
obstacles  in  Thomas's  way,  and  greatly  annoyed  him ; 
but  when  Thomas  had  an  orchestra  of  his  own  their 
roads  diverged.     Bergmann,  meanwhile,  was  the  victim 


MR.  THOMAS'S  BROAD  CULTURE  185 

of  his  own  weaknesses.  He  alienated  his  friends  and 
sank  lower  and  lower.  One  evening  Thomas  went  to 
a  restaurant  much  frequented  by  musicians,  and  upon 
entering  found  Bergmann  in  a  wretched  plight,  with 
the  crowd  making  sport  of  him.  His  temper  blazed  up 
at  once  as  he  thought  of  what  Bergmann  had  been  in 
his  better  days.  He  advanced  and  rebuked  the  crowd 
in  an  outburst  of  wrath,  of  which  he  was  capable  at 
times,  and  threatened  to  thrash  the  lot  of  them  if  they 
did  not  let  their  victim  alone.  "Respect  the  Bergmann 
that  was,  if  you  have  no  respect  for  the  Bergmann  that 
is,"  he  thundered  at  them.  The  crowd  slunk  away, 
and  Thomas  then  took  Bergmann  home,  though  he  had 
long  before  forfeited  all  claim  upon  his  friendship.  The 
incident  shows  the  man. 

Most  people  think  that  Mr.  Thomas  devoted  himself 
entirely  to  the  study  and  practice  of  music  and  was 
unfamiliar  with  other  subjects.  This  is  a  mistake.  He 
necessarily  gave  much  time  to  his  work,  for  its  demands 
were  exacting,  and  he  had  to  keep  up  with  all  the  new 
developments  in  the  world  of  art ;  but,  notwithstanding 
that,  he  was  a  man  of  broad  culture,  an  earnest  student 
of  philosophy,  history,  and  poetry,  and  well  posted  in  the 
great  movements  of  the  time.  His  favorite  authors  were 
Shakespeare,  Goethe,  and  Schiller.  He  was  well  read  in 
the  German  philosophical  systems  and  deeply  versed  in 
the  ancient  and  modern  literature  of  music.  His  table 
talk  would  make  an  entertaining  volume  of  itself,  for 
he  was  a  fluent  converser  on  almost  every  subject,  and 
his  ideas  were  original  and  illuminating.  In  this  con- 
nection, also,  it  may  be  said  that  he  had  a  rare  fund  of 


186  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

humor  and  was  an  excellent  story-teller.  Those  who 
only  saw  him  with  baton  in  hand  would  hardly  believe 
him  "  a  fellow  of  infinite  jest  and  excellent  fancy " 
among  his  congenial  friends.  To  meet  them  at  little 
dinners  was  his  delight.  He  was  a  connoisseur  and 
expert  in  everything  pertaining  to  a  menu,  and  the 
most  delightful  of  hosts.  How  well  I  remember  his 
quaint  and  hearty  invitation  on  one  occasion  :  "  Come 
and  have  a  good  time,  and  drink  to  the  gods  as  the 
Greeks  did,  who  loved  only  the  good  and  the  true." 
And  as  memory  brings  back  so  many  of  these  spark- 
ling, convivial  occasions,  I  recall  an  "  over  the  Rhine  " 
Commerz  at  the  close  of  one  of  the  Cincinnati  festivals, 
in  which  "  The  Messiah  "  and  Beethoven's  Ninth  Sym- 
phony had  been  given  so  much  to  his  liking  that  he 
invited  the  artists  and  several  musicians  to  celebrate  it. 
Those  who  were  there  will  never  forget  the  occasion, 
for  Mr.  Thomas  was  never  more  delightfully  genial. 
The  discussions  and  good  stories  at  the  "  Tenth  Sym- 
phony," as  the  event  was  christened,  were  memorable. 
Apropos  of  these  discussions,  in  one  related  to  the 
tempos  of  "  The  Messiah,"  he  explained  his  ideas  sub- 
stantially as  follows :  "  A  man  of  Handel's  immense 
vital  energy  never  intended  effects  to  be  made  dull  and 
lethargic.  I  take  these  tempos  just  as  I  feel  them.  As 
Wagner  said,  the  metronome  is  worthless.  The  leader 
who  depends  upon  a  metronome  had  better  take  to  cob- 
bling shoes.  As  to  '  The  Messiah,'  I  don't  care  anything 
about  the  traditions.  I  am  going  to  have  the  style  and 
tempos  as  I  feel  them  myself."  The  last  convivial  oc- 
casion at  which  I  met  him  was  the  last  one  in  his  life, 


AVERSION  TO  SENTIMENTALISM  187 

and  one  of  the  most  enjoyable.  Two  other  gentlemen, 
concerned  with  the  publication  of  his  biography,  who  had 
not  met  him  before,  were  present,  and  spent  a  delightful 
afternoon.  Music  was  not  alluded  to,  but  a  great  variety 
of  topics  was  discussed,  upon  which  he  had  so  much  to 
say  that  was  vitally  significant,  far-seeing,  and  compre- 
hensive, that  these  gentlemen,  who  imagined  him  to  be 
a  man  wholly  absorbed  in  music,  were  surprised  to  find 
what  a  strong  grasp  he  had  upon  all  the  topics  of  the 
time.  A  few  weeks  later  Mr.  Thomas  died,  but  the 
little  social  meeting  that  afternoon  will  long  linger  in 
the  memories  of  the  three  guests. 

A  peculiar  characteristic  of  Mr.  Thomas  was  his  free- 
dom from  sensationalism  and  "sweet  sentimentalism"  in 
his  work  as  well  as  in  his  life.  He  was  strong  and  sane, 
and  had  high  ideals,  but  was  not  given  to  the  emotional. 
One  evening,  at  the  house  of  a  noted  pianist,  two  of  his 
string  players  performed  a  very  emotional  duet,  much  to 
the  delight  of  the  ladies.  When  they  had  finished,  he 
turned  to  me  with  a  smile  and  shrug  of  the  shoulder, 
and  remarked, "  A  nice  pair  of  moon-struck  sentimental- 
ists, are  n't  they  ?  "  Only  a  short  time  before  his  death, 
speaking  of  the  future  of  his  orchestra,  he  said  to  me 
that  he  hoped  it  would  not  have  a  Slav  leader  after 
he  was  gone,  for  they  were  either  sensational  or  played 
for  the  sentimentalists.  It  was  rare,  however,  that  he 
criticised  either  conductors  or  composers.  If  he  did 
not  approve  of  the  latter,  he  would  give  them  a  hearing 
as  a  matter  of  musical  news,  and  then  consign  them  to 
his  librarian's  shelves.  Now  and  then,  however,  he  ex- 
pressed himself  without  reserve,  as  when  he  said  he  had 


188  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

no  patience  with  musicians  whose  education  begins  and 
ends  with  Wagner.  I  met  him  one  day  alone  in  his 
library,  when  he  was  looking  through  the  score  of  the 
"  Domestic  Symphony,"  which  he  had  just  received  from 
Richard  Strauss.  I  asked  him  what  he  thought  of  it. 
He  replied :  "  I  do  not  care  to  express  an  opinion  about 
the  music  itself,  but  how  can  a  composer  thrust  his  per- 
sonality and  family  affairs  upon  people  ?  What  do  they 
care  for  him  or  his  wife  and  babies  and  relatives,  or  for 
what  is  going  on  in  his  home  ?  Strauss  is  lowering  the 
standards.  He  did  better  in  '  Zarathustra  '  and  '  Hel- 
denleben,'  but  is  he  not  sacrificing  quality  in  all  his 
works  ?  " 

Mr.  Thomas  had  three  failures  in  his  life  which  were 
bitter  disappointments  and  for  which  he  was  in  no  way 
responsible.  One  of  these  failures  was  his  Columbian 
Exposition  scheme  in  1893.  He  had  planned  upon  a 
most  noble  scale  a  representation  of  the  progress  of 
music  from  a  very  early  period  to  the  present,  which 
should  be  in  consonance  with  the  ideas  underlying  the 
Exposition.  His  scheme  was  carried  out  for  three 
months,  under  many  difficulties.  He  gradually  discov- 
ered, however,  that  his  work  was  hampered  by  some  of 
those  who  should  have  actively  cooperated  with  him. 
The  musical  committee  itself  was  not  in  sympathy  with 
him,  and  did  not  realize  the  greatness  of  his  scheme. 
At  last  a  combined  onslaught  was  made  upon  him  be- 
cause he  would  not  consent  to  have  his  scheme  domi- 
nated by  commercial  influences.  He  drew  the  line 
sharply  in  defence  of  himself  and  a  distinguished  artist. 
Certain  piano  dealers  raised  a  clamor,  and  rather  than 


MR.  THOMAS'S  THREE  DISAPPOINTMENTS  189 

lower  himself  by  engaging  in  a  vulgar  quarrel  with 
men  who  could  not,  or  would  not,  understand  his  mo- 
tives, he  promptly  resigned.  He  made  no  complaints 
in  his  letter  of  resignation,  but  simply  advised  the  Com- 
mittee to  treat  music  as  an  amusement,  not  as  an  art, 
during  the  remainder  of  the  Exposition  period,  and  gen- 
erously offered  his  services  without  compensation  if  they 
desired  his  advice.  In  a  letter  to  me  afterwards  he 
simply  wrote :  "  I  cannot  tell  you  what  pain  these 
attacks  have  given  me.  My  age  and  my  record  should 
have  protected  me  from  them.  But  let  it  pass.  Art  is 
long."  Theodore  Thomas  would  never  recognize  com- 
mercialism in  music. 

Mr.  Thomas's  second  failure  was  his  administration  of 
the  Cincinnati  College  of  Music  in  1880.  In  this  case, 
also,  he  had  planned  a  great  scheme  which  contemplated 
a  musical  university  upon  a  broad  and  noble  foundation, 
and  only  accepted  the  directorship  upon  the  explicit 
understanding  that  he  would  not  interfere  with  the 
business  management,  and  the  trustees  must  not  inter- 
fere with  the  musical  management.  His  words  were : 
"  I  must  insist  upon  being  intrusted  with  the  exclu- 
sive management  of  the  school,  not  submitting  my 
judgment  to  the  trustees  in  musical  matters."  But 
for  one  man  he  probably  would  have  succeeded  in  car- 
rying out  his  scheme ;  but  that  one  man,  who  stood  high 
socially  in  Cincinnati  and  had  great  influence  in  the 
College,  continually  intermeddled  with  Mr.  Thomas's 
management.  I  was  a  witness  of  this  intermeddling  on 
two  occasions,  and  listened  to  the  stinging  rebukes  ad- 
ministered to  him  by  the  director,  whose  patience  was 


190  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

worn  out,  but  the  man  was  so  wrapped  up  in  his  own 
importance  that  they  made  no  impression  upon  him. 
Finding  that  he  could  be  of  no  use  under  such  circum- 
stances, Mr.  Thomas  resigned.  His  labors  for  a  great 
seat  of  musical  learning  in  that  city  ceased,  but  he  con- 
tinued his  labors  for  the  success  of  its  famous  festivals. 
In  the  last  one  which  he  directed,  however,  the  tax 
upon  his  strength  was  tremendous,  and  undoubtedly 
was  one  of  the  causes  which  hastened  his  death. 

Mr.  Thomas's  third  failure  was  the  American  Opera 
Company,  organized  in  1886  for  the  representation  of 
opera  in  English  by  American  artists.  It  is  sufficient 
to  know  that  it  collapsed  after  two  years  of  hard  labor, 
frequent  litigations,  annoying  strikes,  unpaid  bills,  sher- 
iffs' attachments,  and  the  sacrifice  of  his  own  salary  for 
several  months,  —  all  owing  to  the  wretched  business 
management  of  one  person  !  And  yet,  in  the  midst  of 
all  these  drawbacks,  opera  has  never  been  given  better 
in  this  country,  nor  have  opera  goers  ever  seen  a  better 
ensemble.  He  told  me  that  the  failure  was  due  "  to 
inexperience  and  misdirected  enthusiasm  in  business 
management  and  to  misappropriation  of  money,"  —  a 
charitable  statement  when  we  consider  that  he  wrote 
upon  the  back  of  the  programme  of  the  last  perform- 
ance :  "  The  most  dreadful  experience  I  have  ever 
had." 

Before  closing  my  recollections  of  the  great  leader 
who  has  done  more  for  the  musical  education  of  the 
American  people  than  any  other,  I  must  quote  the  fol- 
lowing sayings  of  his,  gathered  from  my  letters  and 
interviews  with  him,  which  throw  a  clear  light  upon 


NOTABLE  SAYINGS  191 

him  as  a  musician,  for,  after  all  that  may  be  said  of  him 
as  a  man,  most  people  know  him  only  as  the  musician 
and  conductor : 

"A  symphonic  orchestra  shows  the  culture  of  a  com- 
munity, not  opera.  The  man  who  does  not  know  Shakespeare 
is  to  be  pitied,  and  the  man  who  does  not  understand  Bee- 
thoven, and  has  not  been  under  his  spell,  has  not  half  lived 
his  life.  The  master  works  of  instrumental  music  are  the 
language  of  the  soul,  and  express  more  than  any  other  art. 
Light  music,  'popular,'  so-called,  is  the  sensual  side  of  the 
art,  and  has  more  or  less  devil  in  it." 

"  Music  should  be  to  the  vocalist  what  painting  is  to  the 
artist.  The  score  should  be  his  brush  and  pigments.  It 
should  be  only  the  rough  materials,  and  his  intelligence 
should  so  dispose  them  that  the  picture  should  be  the  master- 
piece of  his  own  work  and  imagination,  not  the  single  result 
of  direction  or  accidental  combination  of  colors." 

"  Throughout  my  life  my  aim  has  been  to  make  good  music 
popular,  and  it  now  appears  that  I  have  only  done  the  public 
justice  in  believing,  and  acting  constantly  on  the  belief,  that 
the  people  would  enjoy  and  support  the  best  in  art  when  con- 
tinually set  before  them  in  a  clear,  intelligent  manner." 

"  People  cannot  read  the  new  music,  but  they  should  keep 
abreast  of  it,  and  the  only  way  to  know  it  is  to  hear  it.  It 
does  not  follow  that  I  approve  or  indorse  it  because  I  play  it. 
It  is  due  to  the  public  to  hear  once.  This  has  been  a  life-long 
idea  with  me." 

"  I  will  say  that  I  have  neither  sympathy  nor  patience  with 
those  so-called  musicians  whose  education  begins  and  ends 
with  Wagner.  It  is  also  a. great  drawback  in  this  country 
that  the  musical  public  is  either  too  busy  or  too  phlegmatic 
to  treat  music  as  an  art,  but  look  upon  it  only  as  an  amuse- 
ment and  a  pastime.  Conditions  change,  but  progress  is 
slow." 


192  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

"I  care  not  from  what  station  in  life  come  the  thousands 
who  sit  before  me.  Beethoven  will  teach  each  according  to 
his  needs,  and  the  very  same  cadence  that  may  waft  the 
thoughts  of  one  to  drowsy  delight  or  oblivion  may  stir  the 
heart  of  another  to  higher  inspiration,  may  give  another  hope 
in  his  despair,  may  bring  to  yet  another  a  message  of  love." 

"  I  have  always  worked  hard  and  always  worked  ahead,  and 
know  little  of  the  past." 

"  In  art  the  first  rule  is  system  and  form ;  in  art  you  cannot 
count  your  time." 

"  I  agree  with  the  present  time,  and  prefer  truth  to  Euro- 
pean culture  (hypocrisy)  ;  but  I  also  admire  to  some  extent 
good  manners,  and  confess  that  I  am  in  my  inner  self  enough 
of  a  German  that  it  makes  me  feel  better  if  I  can  treat  some 
one  or  some  thing  with  respect." 

"  I  have  never  wished  to  pose  as  an  educator  or  a  philan- 
thropist, except  in  so  far  as  I  might  help  the  public  to  get 
beyond  certain  so-called  popular  music  which  represents  noth- 
ing more  than  sweet  sentimentalism  and  rhythm  on  the  level 
of  the  dime  novel." 

"  Everything  revenges  itself  on  this  earth.  "Wagner  fights 
just  as  much  to-day  as  when  alive,  perhaps  when  he  wants 
peace ;  and  Berlioz,  with  whom  we  thought  to  be  free,  had  his 
centenary  fall  at  a  time  to  force  the  world  to  make  up  for  lost 
time  at  the  other  end." 

"  The  power  of  good  music !  Who  among  us  can  tell  or 
measure  it  ?  Who  shall  say  how  many  hearts  it  has  soothed, 
how  many  tired  brains  it  has  rested,  how  many  sorrows  it  has 
taken  away?  It  is  like  the  power  of  conscience, —  mighty, 
immeasurable." 

If  the  list  of  those  who  have  appeared  as  soloists  in 
Mr.  Thomas's  concerts  during  the  last  fifty  years  were 


NOTABLE  SAYINGS  193 

printed,  it  would  include  the  name  of  every  prominent 
vocal  and  instrumental  performer  in  this  country  and 
most  of  those  in  Europe.  If  the  list  of  those  who  have 
been  aided  by  his  counsels  and  encouraged  by  his  ap- 
probation could  be  published,  it  would  include  a  great 
number  who  have  become  famous  and  largely  owe  their 
fame  to  him. 

To  him  Chicago  also  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  for 
fourteen  years  of  constant  and  faithful  devotion  to  the 
highest  musical  interests,  and  for  his  work  during  the 
twenty-two  years  preceding,  in  which  he  was  preparing 
the  way  for  the  crowning  achievement  of  his  career,  — 
the  record  of  1891-1904. 


is 


CHAPTER  XV 

MUSICAL    FESTIVALS 

PATRICK  SARSFIELD  GILMORE  —  HIS  QUALITIES  AS  A  BAND 
LEADER  —  CHICAGO  REBUILDING  JUBILEE  —  NATIONAL 
PEACE  JUBILEE  —  ANVILS,  ARTILLERY,  AND  CHURCH  BELLS 

PAREPA      AND     ADELAIDE     PHILLIPS  —  INTERNATIONAL 

PEACE  JUBILEE  —  a  MONSTER  AGGREGATION  —  MUSICAL 
EFFECT  —  INTERNATIONAL  BANDS  —  JOHANN  STRAUSS  AND 
HIS  PERSONALITY  —  FRANZ  ABT  —  BENDEL  AND  THE  AUTO- 
GRAPH HUNTERS  —  MADAME  RUDERSDORF  —  HER  PECU- 
LIARITIES AND  WILL — CINCINNATI  FESTIVALS  —  CHICAGO 
MAY  FESTIVALS 

THE  very  name  of  Gilmore  suggests  musical  festi- 
vals, by  which  I  do  not  mean  festivals  devoted 
to  the  exposition  of  the  higher  music,  like  those 
at  Cincinnati  and  Worcester,  but  festivals  in  which 
popular  music  is  the  feature  and  its  exploitation  on  a 
colossal  scale  the  object.  Patrick  Sarsfield  Gilmore 
was  not  a  musician  of  profound  ability,  but  he  was 
completely  at  home  in  music  of  a  bright,  showy,  sen- 
sational character.  He  was  an  admirable  bandmaster, 
and  to  him  more  than  to  any  other,  perhaps,  is  due  the 
present  concert  band.  He  was  a  good  leader,  though 
somewhat  eccentric  in  his  use  of  the  baton,  picked  good 
players  for  his  bands,  and  made  effective  combinations 
of  instruments.  Whatever  defects  his  bands  may  have 
had,   they  never  lacked   in   brilliancy.      His   musical 


GILMORE  AS  A  BAND  LEADER  195 

schemes  were  nearly  always  planned  upon  a  colossal 
scale,  and  required  unusual  and  picturesque,  sometimes 
startling,  combinations.  He  once  told  me  that  he  would 
be  delighted  if  he  could  only  have  church  bells,  cannons, 
and  anvils  with  every  piece  he  played,  not  merely  for 
their  effect  upon  audiences,  but  because  he  enjoyed  them 
.himself.  This  passion  for  tumultuous  noise  and  bizarre 
sensations  was  a  curious  feature  in  his  musical  make- 
up, for  off  the  stage  he  was  very  quiet,  refined,  and  un- 
obtrusive,—  in  fact,  an  Irish  gentleman,  with  all  the 
engaging  qualities  of  that  class.  On  the  stage,  how- 
ever, with  cannon  thundering,  bells  ringing,  and  anvils 
clanging,  he  was  a  totally  different  personality. 

Gilmore's  passion  for  band  music  was  first  awakened 
by  hearing  the  English  bands  stationed  from  time  to 
time  in  his  native  Athlone.  His  own  instrument  was 
the  cornet,  and  his  proficiency  in  playing  it  secured  him 
the  leadership  of  a  band  at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  when 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  His  mania  for  monster 
display  manifested  itself  at  once  in  the  big  Fourth  of 
July  concerts  which  he  gave  on  Boston  Common.  The 
Civil  War  furnished  him  a  still  wider  area  for  his 
ambition.  He  was  appointed  musical  director  of  the 
department  at  New  Orleans  by  General  Banks,  and  it 
was  in  that  city  he  gave  his  first  real  festival,  by  cele- 
brating the  inauguration  of  Governor  Hahn  with  a 
chorus  of  five  thousand  adults  and  children,  a  band  of 
five  hundred  players,  drum  and  trumpet  corps,  and  the 
inevitable  pieces  of  artillery.  It  was  from  that  city 
also  that  he  brought  back  "  When  Johnny  comes 
marching  home   again."      He  claimed  the  authorship 


196  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

of  it.  In  the  absence  of  any  other  claimant  it  may  be 
credited  to  him. 

Chicago  had  but  one  Gilmore  festival,  but  Gilmore 
came  here  often.  In  1860  his  band  escorted  the  New 
England  delegations  to  the  Republican  National  Conven- 
tion which  nominated  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  presi- 
dency, and  gave  several  concerts  at  Metropolitan  Hall. 
In  1864  he  was  at  Bryan  Hall.  In  1868  he  inaugurated 
the  Charity  Balls,  and  gave  a  week  of  promenade  con- 
certs at  the  Crosby  Opera  House,  with  Camilla  Urso, 
violinist;  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith,  soprano;  Dr.  Guilmette, 
basso;  and  Arbuckle,  cornetist.  In  February,  1875, 
Emma  Thursby  made  her  Chicago  debut  in  his  con- 
certs. In  1876  he  came  again,  and  concert  goers  en- 
joyed the  rare  treat  of  hearing  Levy  and  Arbuckle,  the 
two  greatest  cornetists  of  the  day,  play  duets.  In  1878 
he  brought  two  excellent  singers,  Juliet  Fenderson  and 
Marie  Salvotti.  Indeed,  Gilmore  was  here  so  often  that 
Chicago  became  well  acquainted  with  him,  and  greatly 
enjoyed  the  acquaintance. 

His  Chicago  Jubilee  came  off  in  June,  1873,  and  was 
a  three  days'  affair,  intended  to  celebrate  the  rebuilding 
of  the  city  during  the  eighteen  months  following  the 
great  fire.  The  concerts  were  given  in  the  new  pas- 
senger station  of  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad.  It  was  a 
structure  which  satisfied  Gilmore's  ideas  of  bigness,  for 
it  was  nearly  two  blocks  in  length  and  accommodated 
forty  thousand  people.  His  band  was  enlarged  to  three 
hundred  pieces,  and  a  chorus  of  one  thousand  singers 
was  organized  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Butterfield.  It  was  the 
kind  of  festival  Gilmore  liked — no  soloists,  simply  a 


CHICAGO  REBUILDING  JUBILEE  197 

multitude  of  voices  and  instruments  uniting  in  the 
"Hallelujah  Chorus,"  "The  Heavens  are  telling," 
"  The  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  "  The  American  Hymn," 
the  "  Gloria  "  from  Mozart's  "  Twelfth  Mass,"  and  other 
pieces,  not  forgetting  the  "  Anvil  Chorus  "  and  all  the 
anvils  Gilmore  could  beg  or  borrow  on  the  South  side. 
It  was  a  gala  week  for  all  concerned,  and  the  festival 
closed  with  "  the  most  magnificent  and  select  social 
affair  ever  given  in  the  country,"  as  the  official  bul- 
letin described  it  —  "an  elegant  and  recherche  ball" 
in  the  rebuilt  Chamber  of  Commerce,  in  which  all  "  the 
distinguished  citizens  "  cooperated  with  Gilmore,  who 
furnished  three  orchestras,  one  for  the  dance,  one  for  the 
promenade,  and  one  for  "  the  collation."  All  citizens 
were  "  distinguished  "  in  Chicago's  early  days,  all  balls 
were  " recherche"  all  suppers  were  " collations,"  and  all 
the  ladies  were  "  the  fairest  daughters  of  our  city."  It 
was  worth  while  living  here  then.  They  were  joyous 
days  just  at  that  time,  for  Chicago  had  recovered  from 
the  disaster  of  1871,  the  clouds  of  doubt  and  despair 
had  all  rolled  away,  and  she  was  once  more  basking  in 
the  sunshine  of  hope.  Does  not  the  official  bulletin 
say  :  "  Everything  seemed  to  favor  and  assist  our  people 
in  the  arduous  task  of  rebuilding  a  destroyed  city,  and 
the  results  show  a  city  the  most  remarkable  in  its  archi- 
tectural beauty  and  the  most  magnificent  in  its  public 
and  private  buildings  that  has  ever  been  erected  in  the 
history  of  the  world  !  "  No  wonder  Chicago  was  proud 
of  her  new  and  beautiful  clothes. 

This   little   jubilee,    however,   was    an    insignificant 
affair    when    compared   with    the    two    great    Boston 


198  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

jubilees,  in  which  Patrick  Sarsfield  Gilmore,  panoplied 
with  musical  glory,  rose  to  the  summit  of  his  ambition. 
I  attended  both  of  them  as  a  bewildered  spectator  and 
alternately  enraptured  and  dazed  auditor.  In  1869  the 
country  was  at  peace.  Johnny  had  come  "  marching 
home  again  "  and  settled  down,  and  Gilmore  thought  it 
was  high  time  for  the  "  hurrah,"  and  for  all  to  "  feel 
gay."  So  he  organized  the  National  Peace  Jubilee.  Its 
main  components  were  a  building  on  the  Boston  Back 
Bay  accommodating  thirty  thousand  people ;  an  orches- 
tra of  one  thousand  pieces ;  a  chorus  of  ten  thousand 
voices  gathered  from  New  England  choirs  and  singing 
societies ;  a  battery  of  artillery ;  a  hundred  anvils  ;  half 
a  dozen  church  bells;  and  Patrick  Sarsfield  Gilmore. 
The  detailed  features  were  Parepa-Rosa  and  Adelaide 
Phillips  as  soloists,  and  an  orchestra  composed  as  fol- 
lows :  First  violins,  115 ;  second  violins,  100  ;  violas,  65; 
'cellos,  65 ;  double  basses,  85  ;  piccolos  and  flutes,  25 ; 
clarinets,  78 ;  oboes,  8 ;  bassoons,  8 ;  horns,  12 ;  trum- 
pets, 8  ;  trombones,  84  ;  tubas,  83  ;  cornets,  83  ;  bary- 
tones, 25;  snare  drums,  50;  bass  drums,  25;  cymbals, 
10 ;  triangles,  10.  I  can  hear  those  eighty-four  trom- 
bones, eighty-three  tubas,  eighty-three  cornets,  and  fifty 
snare  drums  even  now,  blending  with  the  roar  of  the 
big  organ  and  the  mark  time  eruptions  of  anvils  and 
artillery.  There  were  some  famous  players,  however, 
in  that  orchestra.  Ole  Bull  headed  the  violins,  and 
Carl  Rosa  and  Wilhelm  Schultze  sat  at  the  second 
and  third  desks.  There  were  also  the  second  violin- 
ists, Meisel,  Eichler,  and  Reichardt ;  the  viola  players, 
Ryan  and  Heindl;  the  'cellists,  Wulf  Fries,  Suck,  and 


NATIONAL  PEACE  JUBILEE  199 

Mollenhauer;  the  flutists,  Koppitz,  Zohler,  and  Carlo; 
the  oboists,  De  Ribas,  Mente,  and  Taulwasser ;  and  the 
cornetist,  Arbuckle.  Of  course  there  were  times  when 
there  were  apotheoses  of  racket.  One  of  these  was 
the  occasion  when  General  Grant  entered  the  hall  to 
the  strains  of  "  See  the  Conquering  Hero  comes,"  fol- 
lowed by  the  Anvil  Chorus,  accompanied  by  the  artillery 
and  the  shouts  of  the  assembled  thousands,  which  al- 
most drowned  Gilmore's  efforts  to  reach  an  fff  that 
should  express  his  wild  longings  for  a  climax  to  break 
the  record.  There  was  occasionally  a  humorous  turn  to 
affairs,  as  when  in  the  opening  concert  the  chorus  and 
orchestra  got  almost  inextricably  tangled  up  in  the 
heights  of  "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  and  Gilmore 
lost  control.  He  made  desperate  efforts  to  get  them 
together,  but  when  he  found  that  they  were  getting 
snarled  worse  and  worse,  he  signalled  the  big  organ  and 
the  batteries,  and  somewhere  and  somehow  in  their 
united  dins  the  orchestra  and  chorus  untangled  them- 
selves and  order  came  out  of  chaos.  But  it  was  not 
all  noise  in  this  festival,  for  the  mass  effect  in  the 
chorales,  Parepa's  singing  of  Gounod's  "Ave  Maria," 
with  an  obligato  of  two  hundred  violins,  as  well  as 
her  performance  of  the  "  Inflammatus  "  from  Rossini's 
"  Stabat  Mater,"  and  "  Let  the  bright  Seraphim,"  with 
Arbuckle's  trumpet  obligato,  the  voice  and  instrument 
uniting  perfectly,  both  absolutely  pure  tones,  as  well  as 
the  performance  of  the  "Quis  Est  Homo,"  from  the 
"Stabat  Mater"  by  Parepa  and  Adelaide  Phillips,  were 
expressions  of  tonal  beauty  long  to  be  remembered. 
The  "  Old  Hundred  "  also,  which  closed  the  festival,  was 


200  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

profoundly  impressive  when  more  than  thirty  thousand 
voices  joined  the  mass  chorus  in  singing  the  familiar 
old  Doxology. 

Now  Gilmore,  not  content  with  one  jubilee,  sighed, 
like  Alexander,  for  other  worlds  to  conquer,  and  the 
opportunity  presented  itself  in  1872.  This  country  was 
not  only  at  peace,  but  the  rest  of  the  world  also,  for  the 
Franco- German  War  was  over.  Encouraged  by  the  suc- 
cess of  the  National  Peace  Jubilee,  he  organized  an 
International  Peace  Jubilee  upon  a  still  more  extensive 
scale.  Instead  of  an  orchestra  of  one  thousand,  he  as- 
sembled an  orchestra  of  two  thousand.  Instead  of  a 
chorus  of  ten  thousand,  he  collected  a  chorus  of  twenty 
thousand  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  Instead  of  a 
hall  seating  thirty  thousand,  he  had  one  seating  fifty 
thousand.  The  "  Bouquet  of  Artists,"  composed  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  professional  singers,  was  a  special 
feature;  likewise  a  chorus  of  the  ancient  signors  and 
signoras,  gathered  from  various  opera  companies,  which 
might  better  have  been  omitted.  These  formed  the 
foundations  of  the  great  undertaking.  The  detailed 
features  included  the  soloists  Madame  Peschka-Leutner 
and  Madame  Erminia  Rudersdorf,  sopranos ;  Arabella 
Goddard,  Franz  Bendel,  and  J.  M.  Wehli,  pianists; 
Johann  Strauss  and  Franz  Abt,  specially  engaged  to  lead 
some  of  their  own  compositions ;  the  Grenadier  Guards 
Band  of  London,  Dan  Godfrey,  leader ;  the  Kaiser  Franz 
Grenadier-Regiment  Band  of  Berlin,  Heinrich  Saro, 
leader  ;  the  Band  of  the  Garde  Republicaine  from  Paris, 
M.  Paulus,  leader;  the  National  Band  from  Dublin, 
Edwin     Clements,    leader  ;    the     Emperor    William's 


INTERNATIONAL  PEACE  JUBILEE        201 

Household  Cornet  Quartette ;  the  United  States  Marine 
Band,  Henry  Fries,  leader;  the  Ninth  Regiment  Band 
from  New  York,  D.  L.  Downing,  leader  ;  Gilmore's  Band, 
P.  S.  Gilmore,  leader;  and  the  Jubilee  Singers  from 
Nashville.  The  triumph  of  the  latter  was  achieved  in 
the  singing  of  "  The  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic,"  set 
to  the  air,  "  John  Brown's  Body."  Certainly  John 
Brown's  body  never  marched  more  grandly  and  noisily 
than  it  did  then  to  the  accompaniment  of  the  Nashville 
singers,  the  mass  chorus,  the  artillery  and  organ,  the 
drum  and  trumpet  chorus,  the  bells  of  Boston,  and 
the  hundred  anvils  robustly  pounded  by  a  hundred  of 
the  Boston  firemen.  It  was  an  ensemble  of  fearful  and 
wonderful  sonority. 

As  a  human  spectacle  it  would  be  hard  to  imagine 
anything  more  impressive  than  this  vast  assemblage  of 
thousands  swept  by  waves  of  enthusiasm  when  the 
national  anthems  were  sung,  or  subdued  by  a  devo- 
tional spirit  when  the  old  familiar  hymn  tunes,  like 
"  Hebron "  and  "  Coronation,"  were  sung,  for  each 
concert  closed  with  one  of  them,  in  which  the  audience 
was  requested  to  join.  The  sight  of  the  immense  stage 
crowded  with  its  thousands  of  singers  and  players, 
swayed  by  the  baton  of  one  man,  was  an  impressive 
sight  in  itself. 

This  jubilee  also  had  its  humorous  aspects,  like  the 
other.  Nothing  more  ludicrous  could  be  imagined  than 
the  frantic  efforts  of  Gilmore  to  get  his  singers  together 
when  one  section  after  another  lost  the  beat  and  wan- 
dered off  in  all  sorts  of  directions,  instruments  taking 
one  road,  the  organ  another,  and  singers  another,  for 


202  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

all  the  world  as  if  they  were  singing  a  Richard  Strauss 
symphonic  poem.  To  add  to  the  humor  of  the  situation, 
they  were  singing  the  aria,  "  All  we  like  Sheep  have 
gone  astray,"  from  "  The  Messiah."  Unlike  sheep, 
however,  they  did  not  follow  their  leader,  but  went 
"  every  one  in  his  own  way,"  until  at  last  a  panic  ensued 
and  a  halt  was  ordered.  It  is  confusing  enough  when 
an  ordinary  chorus  goes  to  pieces,  but  when  a  chorus 
of  twenty  thousand  and  an  orchestra  of  two  thousand 
collapse,  it  is  a  cataclysm. 

From  the  musical  point  of  view,  of  course,  there  were 
many  features  of  great  interest ;  but  what  did  this  tre- 
mendous output  of  energy  and  enterprise  accomplish 
after  all  ?  It  proved,  perhaps,  that  twenty  thousand 
voices  could  be  handled,  and  when  the  singers  were 
familiar  with  the  music,  and  the  music  was  that  of 
chorales,  hymns,  and  anthems,  and  there  were  no  fugued 
passages,  or  broken  time,  or  close  harmony,  that  satis- 
factory effects  could  be  produced.  And  yet  these  effects 
in  themselves  were  no  finer  than  those  produced  by  a 
smaller  number  of  voices  in  a  proportionately  smaller 
hall.  Indeed,  Gil  more  himself  acknowledged  to  me 
afterwards  that  he  was  through  with  "tornado  cho- 
ruses." They  remind  one  of  volcanic  eruptions,  cyclones, 
and  earthquakes  —  very  grand  and  impressive,  but  not 
of  any  benefit  to  the  surrounding  country. 

Some  of  the  individual  features  of  the  Jubilee  were 
of  unusual  interest.  Johann  Strauss  was  engaged  for 
the  festival,  and  conducted  his  "  Blue  Danube,"  "  Wine, 
Woman,  and  Song,"  "  Thousand  and  One  Nights,"  and 
"Artists'    Life"  waltzes,  the   "Pizzicato   Polka"  and 


STRAUSS  AND  HIS  PERSONALITY  203 

"Circassian  March";  also  the  "Jubilee  Waltz,"  with 
the  "  Star- Spangled  Banner"  for  the  coda,  which   he 
wrote  for  the  occasion.    It  was  vapid  and  weak,  as  most 
"  occasional  pieces  "  are.     Strauss  was  fascinating  as  a 
leader.    At  the  time  I  saw  him  he  was  about  forty  years 
old.     He  was  of  medium  stature,  with  a  rather  low  and 
narrow  forehead  from  which  he  brushed  his  hair  straight 
back.     He  had  the  swarthy  Austrian  complexion,  bright, 
restless,  black  eyes,  and  wore  his  side-whiskers  English 
fashion.     With  his  left  leg  a  little  advanced,  and  his 
violin  resting  upon  his  knee,  he  gave  the  time  for  a 
bar  or  two  with  his  bow  very  gracefully,  also  marking 
time  with  his  right  foot.     He  would  then  play  with  the 
orchestra,  his  whole  body  swaying  to  the  rhythm  of  the 
waltz  —  only  for  a  minute,  however,  for  as  a  new  phrase 
developed  itself,  his  bow  would  be  in  the  air,  the  violin 
resting  again  on  his  knee.     He  would  turn  to  each  part 
when  he  gave  the  signal  to  come  in,  sometimes  develop- 
ing whole  bars,  note  by  note,  then  abruptly  pausing  for  a 
beat  or  two,  anon  electrically  springing  into  the  music  — 
feet,  arms,  legs,  even  the  features  of  his  face,  moving  to 
the  tempo.     He  impressed  his  individuality  upon  every 
player,  and  they  moved  as  one  in  the  intoxicating  de- 
lirium of  the  waltz.     The  effect  upon  the  audience  was 
almost   as   marvellous.     All   over   the   great  building 
thousands  of  heads  —  black,  blonde,  and  gray  —  were 
swaying  in  time.     Children  were  fairly  dancing.     The 
heads  of  the  singers  were  bobbing  in  time.    The  players 
yielded  to  the  fascination  and  marked  time  with  their 
bodies.     And  high  above  them  all  stood  the  presiding 
genius  —  the  embodiment  of  the  waltz  rhythm. 


204  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

Strauss's  wife,  Jetty  Treffz,  was  with  him.  Off  the 
stage  Strauss  spent  most  of  his  time  smoking,  card- 
playing,  and  receiving  visitors.  Madame  Strauss  spent 
much  of  her  time  reading  the  letters  from  his  female 
admirers,  and  shearing  her  black  poodle  for  small  locks 
of  "  her  husband's  hair,"  which  they  craved,  or  writing 
his  autograph.  I  suspect  she  greatly  enjoyed  these  oc- 
cupations, for  she  had  a  keen  sense  of  humor. 

Franz  Abt,  who  was  brought  over  by  Gilmore  to  con- 
duct his  popular  song,  "  When  the  Swallows  homeward 
fly,"  was  another  interesting  character.  He  was  an 
elderly,  rubicund  man  at  that  time,  with  a  fatherly, 
benignant  air  and  a  smiling,  prepossessing  face.  He 
would  have  made  a  typical  Santa  Claus.  As  every 
singer  knew  the  song  by  heart,  his  task  was  an  easy 
one,  and  the  swallows  flew  homeward  without  the 
least  difficulty.  He  conducted  in  an  easy,  graceful 
manner,  and  was  hugely  delighted  with  the  effect  of 
his  song,  for  he  had  probably  never  dreamed  that  he 
should  lead  such  a  tremendous  flight  of  swallows  as 
that  before  him.  He,  too,  had  a  fund  of  quiet  humor, 
and  laughed  heartily  at  Tom  Hoppins's  caricature,  in 
which  the  swallows'  homeward  flights  were  represented 
by  a  German  with  a  huge  stein  of  beer  at  his  lips  and  a 
seraphic  expression  on  his  face. 

Franz  Bendel  was  a  pianist  of  jubilee  proportions  in 
stature  and  strength.  In  his  playing  he  reminded  one 
of  DeMeyer,  so  far  as  power  is  concerned.  The  demand 
for  autographs  from  members  of  the  chorus  was  so  great 
that  the  artists  were  unable  to  satisfy  it  single-handed. 
One  morning,  at  rehearsal  of  chorus  by  Carl  Zerrahn, 


J. 


■— 
o 


MADAME  RUDERSDORF  205 

I  was  sitting  with  Gilmore  and  was  much  surprised 
when  a  messenger  came  to  him  with  an  autograph 
book  and  the  request  that  Mr.  Bendel  would  write  his 
name  in  it.  Gilmore  turned  to  me  and  said,  "  She  evi- 
dently thinks  you  are  Bendel,  and  you  must  oblige  her." 
I  forged  the  name  satisfactorily,  and  soon  a  flood  of 
books  reached  me  to  be  similarly  inscribed,  and  the 
owners  were  delighted.  I  had  no  compunctions,  for  I 
was  a  collector  myself,  and  well  knew  how  the  victims 
were  persecuted.  Herr  Bendel  subsequently  thanked 
me  for  saving  him  to  that  extent.  The  assiduity  and 
insistence  of  these  autograph  hunters  were  extraor- 
dinary. They  lay  in  wait  for  the  victims,  besieged 
dressing-rooms,  stood  on  guard  at  carriage  doors,  pur- 
sued them  to  their  hotels,  and  some  even  invaded  the 
sanctity  of  private  apartments.  Gilmore  had  his  auto- 
graphs written  by  his  clerks,  to  whom  the  hunters  were 
referred. 

Madame  Rudersdorf,  whom  I  met  two  or  three  times, 
was  another  interesting  character  in  the  group  of  artists. 
She  had  had  a  successful  European  career  in  opera  and 
oratorio,  but  at  this  time  her  powers  were  beginning  to 
wane.  She  was  still  a  fine  singer,  however,  displayed 
extraordinary  dramatic  ability,  and  had  a  strong,  reso- 
nant voice  which  she  used  with  consummate  skill,  for 
she  was  a  thoroughly  trained  musician,  as  her  subse- 
quent teaching  career  demonstrated.  She  was  of  me- 
dium height,  stately  of  mien,  and  had  dark,  piercing 
eyes  and  a  strong,  expressive  face.  Her  temper  corre- 
sponded to  her  personal  appearance,  and  her  colors  cor- 
responded to  her  temper,  for  she  was  fond  of  dressing 


206  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

in  scarlet  and  black.  In  costumes  of  these  colors  she 
was  a  most  imposing  figure.  She  was  also  a  woman  of 
undaunted  resolution  and  courage,  brusque  of  speech, 
and  sometimes  brutally  truthful,  as  when  she  sent  a 
pupil  home  who  belonged  to  one  of  the  first  families  in 
Boston  with  this  message :  "  Tell  your  mother  I  can 
make  a  voice,  but  I  can't  make  ears  and  brains."  Her 
son,  Richard  Mansfield,  is  said  to  have  inherited  some 
of  her  qualities. 

Madame  Rudersdorf  died  in  1882.  For  some  years 
before  her  death  she  occupied  a  summer  home  at  Lake- 
side. She  spent  her  time  reading,  collecting  rugs  and 
bric-a-brac,  of  which  she  was  very  fond,  and  running  a 
little  fruit  farm,  where  she  could  be  found  at  work  in 
top  boots  and  a  broad  felt  hat  as  early  as  five  in  the 
morning.  The  following  directions  for  her  last  resting- 
place  are  interesting  as  showing  her  peculiar  simplicity 
of  character: 

"  I  want  to  be  buried  in  an  oak  coffin  of  the  cheapest  kind. 
The  inside  must  be  lined  with  zinc  or  lead,  whichever  is 
cheapest.  I  wish  to  be  dressed  in  a  chemise,  skirt,  and  wrap- 
per, my  hair  done  up  as  now,  with  the  black  lace  scarf  now 
on  my  hat  to  be  dressed  with  my  hair.  There  is  a  heap  of 
stones  by  the  lake  at  Lakeside.  A  hut  must  be  constructed 
of  these  stones  and  my  coffin  placed  in  it,  and  a  cheap  rustic 
fence  built  about  it." 

Her  wishes  were  not  carried  out  for  sanitary  reasons, 
but  he  would  have  been  a  bold  man  who  had  dared  to 
refuse  her  request  while  she  was  living,  judging  from 
the  lurid  ultimatum  I  heard  her  deliver  to  Gilmore  on 
one  of  the  jubilee  days  when  things  were  not  going  to 
suit  Madame. 


CINCINNATI  FESTIVALS  207 

It  is  a  far  cry  from  the  Peace  jubilees  to  the  biennial 
Cincinnati  May  festivals,  inaugurated  in  1873  by  Theo- 
dore Thomas,  the  eighteenth  of  which  was  given  this 
year  (1908).  They  have  been  a  continuous  success,  and 
have  steadily  grown  in  importance  as  expositions  of  the 
higher  music  and  indices  of  its  growth.  I  have  attended 
all  of  these  but  two,  and  have  seen  the  steady  advance 
from  their  modest  beginning  to  the  highest  standard 
of  musical  perfection  in  this  country.  Mr.  Thomas 
was  the  conductor  of  sixteen  of  these  festivals,  and  no 
higher  testimonial  to  his  service  is  needed  than  the 
closing  words  in  the  eloquent  memorial  adopted  by  the 
Directors  of  the  Association : 

"  In  the  shadow  of  his  death  we  pledge  ourselves  to  con- 
tinue the  work  which  he  began,  and  to  maintain  the  Cincin- 
nati festivals  on  the  plane  of  excellence  where  he  placed  them, 
and  in  the  spirit  of  conscientious  endeavor  and  high  purpose 
with  which  he  endowed  them." 

How  these  festivals  grew  in  importance  under  Theo- 
dore Thomas's  direction  is  most  clearly  shown  by  a  com- 
parison of  the  first  programme  (1873)  and  that  of  the 
last  festival  he  conducted  (1904).  The  principal  num- 
bers of  the  first  were  Handel's  "  Dettingen  Te  Deum," 
selections  from  Gluck's  "  Orpheus,"  Beethoven's  Ninth 
Symphony,  Schumann's  "  Gipsy  Life,"  Mendelssohn's 
"  Walpurgis  Night,"  and  Schubert's  Symphony  in  C. 
The  principal  numbers  of  the  sixteenth  were  Bach's 
Suite  in  B  Minor,  Bach's  Mass  in  B  Minor,  Elgar's 
"  Dream  of  Gerontius,"  Beethoven's  Mass  in  D  Major, 
Beethoven's  Eighth   and   Ninth   symphonies,  Mozart's 


208  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

Symphony  in  E  flat,  Berlioz's  Hymn,  op.  26,  Bruckner's 
Unfinished  Symphony,  Brahm's  Rhapsodie,  and  Richard 
Strauss's  "  Till  Eulenspiegel "  and  "  Tod  und  Verkla- 
rung."  Never  were  more  exacting  programmes  laid 
out  for  players  and  singers  than  these.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  they  could  have  found  elsewhere  in  this  country 
the  appreciation  which  was  given  them  in  Cincinnati. 

These  festivals  have  always  seemed  to  me  the  crown- 
ing achievement  in  Mr.  Thomas's  career.  In  the  sev- 
enteenth of  the  series  the  combined  Cincinnati  and 
Pittsburg  orchestras  played  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Van  der  Stucken,  but  the  result  was  not  satisfactory. 
The  quality  which  Mr.  Thomas  secured  with  his  own 
orchestra  was  lacking,  and  there  was  an  evident  want 
of  homogeneity.  This  year  (1908)  the  Theodore 
Thomas  orchestra  resumed  its  old  position  under  its 
capable  young  leader,  Mr.  Stock,  and  the  old  standard 
set  by  Mr.  Thomas  was  maintained.  Cincinnati  has 
every  reason  to  be  proud  of  its  May  festivals  and  the 
great  influence  they  have  had  upon  musical  progress 
in  the  Middle  West. 

The  Chicago  May  festivals  of  1882  and  1884  were 
the  outgrowth  of  these  Cincinnati  festivals.  They  had 
the  same  leader,  the  same  solo  artists,  and  the  same 
orchestral  material.  The  choruses  were  trained  in  each 
case  by  Mr.  W.  L.  Tomlins,  who  at  that  time  had  a  re- 
markable aptitude  for  that  kind  of  work.  The  soloists 
for  the  1882  festival  were  Madame  Materna,  Annie 
Louise  Cary,  Emily  Winant,  Aline  Osgood,  Sig.  Campa- 
nini,  and  Messrs.  Toedt,  Remmertz,  Henschel,  Whitney, 
and   Candid  us.     The    principal   works   produced   were 


CHICAGO  MAY   FESTIVALS  209 

Beethoven's  Fifth  and  Ninth  symphonies,  Mozart's  Ju- 
piter Symphony,  selections  from  "  Lohengrin,"  "  Mar- 
riage of  Figaro,"  "  Euryanthe  "  and  the  "  Niebelungen 
Trilogy,"  the  "  Messiah,"  Bach's  cantata  "  Festo  Ascen- 
sionis,"  Schumann's  Mass  in  C  Minor,  and  Berlioz's  "Fall 
of  Troy."  The  soloists  for  the  second  festival  were 
Madame  Materna,  Christine  Nilsson,  Emma  Juch,  Emily 
Winant,  Theodore  J.  Toedt,  Franz  Remmertz,  Emil 
Scaria,  Hermann  Winkelmann,  and  Max  Heinrich.  The 
principal  works  performed  were  Mozart's  Symphony  in 
Q-  Minor,  Beethoven's  Symphony  No.  3,  Schubert's 
Symphony  in  C,  Haydn's  "  Creation,"  selections  from 
"  Tannhauser,"  "  Lohengrin,"  "  Parsifal,"  and  "  Walkure," 
Berlioz's  "  Messe  des  Morts,"  Handel's  u  Dettingen  Te 
Deum,"  and  Gounod's  "Redemption."  It  was  a  noble 
array  of  artists  and  of  programmes  for  each  festival,  but 
the  hopes  of  Mr.  Thomas  were  not  realized. 

A  May  festival  under  the  same  direction  was  also 
given  in  New  York  in  1882.  It  was  Mr.  Thomas's  ambi- 
tion to  give  biennial  festivals  in  New  York  and  Chicago 
as  well  as  in  Cincinnati,  utilizing  the  same  material  for 
each.  The  scheme  was  dropped  in  New  York  after 
the  first  festival,  and  in  Chicago  after  the  second.  Cin- 
cinnati alone  was  able  to  continue  them,  even  after  their 
founder  and  master  spirit  had  passed  away.  New  York 
and  Chicago  are  too  large,  too  busy,  too  material  for 
regular  festivals  devoted  to  the  higher  music.  The  at- 
mosphere of  Cincinnati  is  musical.  It  has  always  had 
musical  pride  and  ambition,  and  now  it  has  musical  tra- 
ditions and  prestige  which  it  evidently  is  determined 
not  to  sacrifice.     The  source  of  the  festivals  reaches 

14 


210  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

back  to  the  old  Sangerfests  of  the  forties.  It  was  the 
thought  of  Mrs.  George  Ward  Nichols,  whose  love  of  art 
has  also  been  shown  in  enduring  ceramic  forms,  that  in- 
spired them,  and  it  was  Theodore  Thomas's  skill  as 
organizer,  programme  maker,  and  conductor  that  infused 
the  breath  of  life  into  them.  The  people  of  Cincinnati 
do  not  even  yet  know  how  greatly  he  prized  these  festi- 
vals or  how  great  was  the  pang  when  he  laid  down  the 
baton  at  the  close  of  the  festival  of  1904,  knowing 
that  it  was  his  last  one. 


CHAPTER   XVI 
EARLY    DAYS  — A    PRELUDE 

MARK  BEAUBIEN's  PIDDLE  —  JEAN  BAPTISTE's  PIANO  —  "THE 
MAN  OF  COLOR'S  "  ANNOUNCEMENT  —  MR.  BOWERS's  ENTER- 
TAINMENT —  THE  OLD  SETTLERS'  HARMONIC  SOCIETY  — 
FIRST  ORGAN  AND  FIRST  CHURCH  CHOIR  ROW  —  THE 
FIRST  THEATRE  —  JOSEPH  JEFFERSON'S  FIRST  APPEAR- 
ANCE —  THE  OLD  BALLADS  —  DEBUT  OF  RICHARD  HOFF- 
MAN —  J.  H.  McVICKER  IN  SONG  AND  DANCE  —  DAVID 
KENNISON'S  DONATION  PARTY  —  MISCELLANEOUS  CON- 
CERTS in  1850-1852 

BEFORE  recalling  memories  of  purely  local  events 
in  Chicago  I  must  record  the  results  of  long  and 
careful  research  among  musty  archives  for  the 
purpose  not  only  of  showing  how  the  first  settlers  of  the 
city  amused  themselves  while  engaged  in  the  responsible 
task  of  laying  its  foundations,  but  also  that  succeeding 
events  may  follow  in  the  proper  chronological  order. 
This  should  be  of  some  interest,  particularly  because 
this  early  history  of  music  has  not  been  fully  written 
hitherto,  but  only  touched  upon  incidentally. 

A  year  or  two  before  the  retirement  of  the  Pottawat- 
tomies  and  Ottawas  west  of  the  Mississippi,  the  little 
village  of  six  hundred  residents,  squatted  among  the 
sloughs  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  heard  its  first  music 
in  the  strains  of  Mark  Beaubien's  fiddle  in  1833.  John 
Kinzie,  senior,  the  first  permanent  white  resident,  who 
came  here  in  1804,  was  the  proud  possessor  of  a  violin, 
but  he  never  played  it  except  in  the  privacy  of  his  own 


212  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

home.*  Beaubien,  however,  may  be  called  a  public  per- 
former. He  was  the  Lake  Street  ferryman,  and  also 
mine  host  of  the  Saguenash  Tavern,  which  stood  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  Lake  and  Market  streets,  upon  the 
site  of  the  "  Wigwam  "  in  which  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
nominated  for  the  presidency  twenty-seven  years  later.! 
Beaubien,  a  French  Canadian,  was  fond  of  fiddling, 
dancing,  card-playing,  story-telling,  and  was  averse  to 
race  suicide,  as  is  shown  by  his  gift  of  sixteen  children 
to  the  young  city.  He  was  also  the  entire  orchestra  for 
the  dances  which  took  place  regularly  in  the  Saguenash 
dining-room.  His  fiddle,  now  treasured  by  the  Calumet 
old  settlers'  club,  was  reenforced  by  a  piano,  belonging 
to  his  brother,  Jean  Baptiste,  the  arrival  of  which  by 
schooner  was  an  exciting  event  in  the  village.  In 
1835  other  pianos  arrived,  among  them  one  brought  by 
William  Brooks  from  London,  which  was  utilized  for 
concerts  a  little  later  as  an  accompaniment  for  his  songs 
by  George  Davis,  the  most  prominent  of  the  pioneer 
singers,  and  for  solos  by  Mrs.  Brooks,  who  executed  the 
"  Battle  of  Prague  "  with  stunning  effect  at  the  first  of 
these  entertainments.  The  following  unique  advertise- 
ment, which  appeared  January  7,  1834,  also  shows  that 
a  member  of  the  colored  race  was  one  of  Chicago's  early 
musicians. 

"  Notice  —  The  subscriber  begs  leave  to  inform  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Chicago  and  its  vicinity  that  he  will  be  ready  at  all 

*  The  Kinzie  house,  which  stood  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  near 
its  mouth,  was  originally  a  log  cabin,  built  in  1796  by  Jean  Baptiste 
Point  au  Sable.      Mr.  Kinzie  reconstructed  it. 

f  The  Saguenash  tavern  was  burned  in  1851. 


H 
x 
w 

> 
c 
o 


:  >W;|p ililipi|f 


MR.  BOWERS'S  ENTERTAINMENT  213 

times  to  furnish  music  at  assemblies,  balls,  and  parties  on  as 
reasonable  terms  as  can  be  furnished  in  this  place. 

Wilson  P.  Perry  (Man  of  color)." 

The  general  manner  in  which  the  "  man  of  color " 
refers  to  the  citizens  as  "  inhabitants  "  and  to  Chicago 
as  "  a  place  "  shows  its  embryonic  condition  in  1834. 
The  first  sacred  music  was  also  heard  in  this  year  in  a 
wooden  tenement  used  as  a  church  by  all  denominations, 
Sergeant  Burtis  of  Fort  Dearborn  leading  the  singing. 
The  first  public  entertainment  at  which  admission  was 
charged  was  given  February  24,  1834,  by  one  Mr. 
Bowers  at  the  Mansion  House,  84-86  Lake  Street,  the 
residence  of  Mr.  Dexter  Graves.  Mr.  Bowers,  the  pio- 
neer showman,  evidently  had  a  sentimental  strain  in 
his  character,  for  he  prefaced  his  announcement  as 
follows :  "  Joy  hath  its  limits.  We  but  borrow  one  hour 
of  mirth  from  months  of  sorrow."  He  also  had  the 
conventional  bombastic  dignity  of  the  showman,  as 
shown  by  his  advertising  himself  as  "Professeur  de  tours 
amusants."  The  French  language  always  figured  largely 
on  the  show  bills  of  the  early  entertainers.  I  quote  from 
his  advertisement,  which  sets  forth  the  alluring  features 
of  his  performance : 

"  Mr.  Bowers  will  fully  personate  Monsieur  Chaubert,  the 
celebrated  fire  king,  who  so  much  astonished  the  people  of 
Europe,  and  go  through  his  wonderful  chemical  performance. 
He  will  draw  a  red-hot  iron  across  his  tongue,  hands,  etc.,  and 
will  partake  of  a  comfortable  warm  supper  by  eating  fire-balls, 
burning  sealing-wax,  live  coals  of  fire,  and  melted  lead.  He 
will  dip  his  fingers  in  melted  lead  and  make  use  of  a  red-hot 
iron  to  convey  the  same  to  his  mouth. 


214  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

"Mr.  Bowers  will  introduce  many  very  amusing  feats  of 
ventriloquism  and  legerdemain,  many  of  which  are  original  and 
too  numerous  to  mention.  Admittance,  50  cents  ;  children 
half  price.  Performance  to  commence  at  early  candle-light. 
Seats  will  be  reserved  for  ladies  and  every  attention  paid  to 
the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the  spectators.  Tickets  to  be 
had  at  the  bar." 

On  the  eleventh  of  June  another  ventriloquist  and 
magician,  Mr.  Kenworthy,  arrived  and  gave  an  exhi- 
bition at  the  Travellers'  Home,  but  I  can  find  no  further 
allusion  to  it;  and  on  the  nineteenth  one  Mr.  C.  Blisse 
gave  a  concert.  It  must  have  been  the  first  concert  in 
Chicago,  but  unfortunately  history  is  silent  concerning 
it.  The  thousands  of  music  teachers  in  Chicago  to-day 
may  be  glad  to  know  that  the  earliest  pioneer  was  Miss 
Wythe,  who  opened  a  music  school  July  9,  1834. 

Thus  music  secured  something  of  a  foothold  in  1834. 
During  the  next  year  another  music  teacher,  Samuel 
Lewis,  opened  a  school,  and  as  he  also  tuned  pianos,  it 
shows  that  these  instruments  were  increasing  in  number. 
The  great  event  of  this  year,  however,  was  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Old  Settlers'  Harmonic  Society,  which  gave 
its  first  concert,  December  11,  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  southwest  corner  of  Lake  and  Clark  streets, 
which  was  the  first  church  erected  in  Chicago.  It  was 
dedicated  January  4,  1834.  "The  Chicago  Magazine" 
of  1859  says  of  the  new  church : 

"  The  approaches  to  this  church  when  first  built  were  of 
such  a  character  as  to  test  the  zeal  of  church-goers  at  that 
time.  On  turning  '  Doles'  corner '  from  the  east,  or  coming 
from  the  north,  ferrying  the  river  in  a  canoe,  it  was  necessary 


THE  OLD  SETTLERS'  HARMONIC  SOCIETY  215 

to  traverse  a  miry  pond  or  slough,  after  which  came  the  daring 
feat  of  walking  a  round  log  to  avoid  the  mire  before  reaching 
Dr.  Goodhue's  yellow  house.  By  clinging  affectionately  to 
this  fence  the  bridge  of  church  benches  was  reached,  which 
when  passed  landed  the  people  on  the  steps  of  the  sanctuary. 
Some  of  the  upper  ten  in  those  days  owned  a  horse  and  cart, 
and  in  this  democratic  conveyance,  seated  on  buffalo  robes, 
they  were  duly  backed  up  and  dumped  on  the  doorstep  dry- 
shod." 

The  officers  of  this  society  were  B.  W.  Raymond, 
president ;  Benjamin  Smith,  secretary ;  T.  B.  Carter, 
treasurer ;  Seth  P.  Warren  and  C.  A.  Collier,  directors ; 
W.  H.  Brown  and  E.  Smith,  executive  committee.  No 
notice  of  this  concert  appears  in  the  village  paper,  pos- 
sibly because  the  attention  of  the  editor,  on  the  day  of 
the  concert,  was  engrossed  with  a  race  of  Indian  ponies 
on  "  the  lake  shore  from  Lake  Street  south  to  Twelfth 
Street,"  meaning  probably  Michigan  Avenue,  as  the  lake 
in  those  days  came  well  up  to  the  sidewalk. 

I  cannot  find  how  long  the  Old  Settlers'  Harmonic 
Society  lasted,  but  it  gave  a  second  concert  in  January, 
1836.  Nathan  Dye,  "  Father  Dye,"  as  he  used  to  be 
called,  also  came  to  Chicago  in  that  year  and  looked 
the  ground  over  with  the  intention  of  starting  a  music 
school.  The  prospect  did  not  please  him,  however,  and 
he  went  to  Milwaukee,  but  he  returned  in  1848  and  for  , 
twenty  years  was  the  most  popular  teacher  in  the  city. 
His  children's  concerts  were  the  rage,  and  many  of  the 
older  citizens  of  Chicago  to-day  were  among  his  pupils. 
The  first  regular  quartette  choir  was  organized  at  St. 
James's  Church  in  1836,  and  the  first  organ  was  also 
installed  there.     When  the  church  itself  was  finished, 


216  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

all  the  money  that  was  left  ($4000)  was  invested  in  a 
fine  mahogany  pulpit,  and  the  organ  fund  had  to  be 
raised  by  subscription  and  the  first  "  Ladies'  Fair  "  held 
in  Chicago.  The  volunteer  choir  was  in  dissension  at 
once.  Those  who  did  not  attend  rehearsals  regularly 
were  dismissed.  The  whole  congregation  was  in  instant 
commotion.  The  director  was  urged  to  reinstate  them, 
but  being  obstinate  he  refused.  The  rector  took  a  hand 
in  the  fight  and  expostulated  with  the  director,  but  to 
no  purpose,  and  at  last  he  left  the  singers  to  fight  it  out. 
The  director  was  victorious,  and  thus  ended  Chicago's 
first  church-choir  row. 

No  event  that  year,  however,  created  so  much  excite- 
ment as  the  arrival  of  the  first  circus,  "  The  Boston 
Grand  Equestrian  Arena,"  Oscar  Sloan,  proprietor.  The 
tent  was  spread  on  a  lot  near  the  foot  of  Madison  Street, 
and  the  show  was  so  well  patronized  that  Sloan  came 
again  in  a  few  months  with  the  additional  attraction  of 
"  two  anacondas  expressly  purchased  for  this  occasion." 

The  year  1837  should  always  be  memorable  in  the 
dramatic  annals  of  Chicago,  for  it  was  then  that  the 
first  theatre  was  opened.  Dean  and  McKenzie  were 
the  first  applicants  for  a  license,  but  the  fee  was  fixed  so 
high  that  they  declined  to  pay  it.  There  was  consider- 
able prejudice  against  theatres  at  that  time.  Subse- 
quently Isherwood  and  McKenzie  procured  a  license  and 
gave  performances  in  the  dining-room  of  the  Saguenash 
Tavern,  "  The  Stranger "  being  the  first  play  Chicago 
witnessed.  Their  success  was  so  encouraging  that 
they  opened  a  regular  theatre  on  the  upper  floor  of  a 
wooden  tenement  on  the  west  side  of  Dearborn  Street, 


JEFFERSON'S  FIRST  APPEARANCE  217 

between  Lake  and  South  Water  streets.  It  was  chris- 
tened "The  Rialto,"  but  the  name  was  soon  changed  to 
"  The  Chicago  Theatre."  Joseph  Jefferson's  father  was 
concerned  in  the  management.  It  is  a  far  cry  back  to 
those  days,  but  the  city's  theatre  of  that  time  should  be 
ever  memorable,  for  Joseph  Jefferson,  a  handsome  lad 
of  nine,  was  the  singing  actor  of  the  troupe,  which  also 
included  his  father,  mother,  and  sister.  He  often  de- 
lighted audiences  with  comic  songs,  sea  songs,  and 
ballads,  among  them  "Lord  Lovell  and  Lady  Nancy." 
One  evening  when  William  Warren,  who  had  come  on 
from  Boston,  appeared  in  "  The  Rivals,"  Jefferson  sang 
a  comic  song  between  the  comedy  and  the  farce  which 
convulsed  his  auditors  almost  as  much  as  Warren's 
inimitable  drollery  had  done.  Jefferson  little  dreamed 
at  that  time  that  his  own  "  Bob  Acres  "  would  be  one 
of  the  most  finished  productions  upon  the  American 
stage  and  that  his  name  alone  of  all  that  stock  company 
of  1837  would  be  known  to  fame. 

The  theatre  was  closed  during  the  season  of  1838  for 
some  reason,  but  reopened  in  1839  with  young  Jefferson 
still  in  the  company,  winning  silver  opinions  from  all ; 
for  in  those  days  it  was  the  custom  of  audiences  to 
throw  silver  on  the  stage  to  singers  and  dancers,  and 
Master  Joseph,  being  a  thrifty  lad,  accumulated  quite  a 
store  of  spending  money  by  padding  out  the  verses  of 
his  songs.  This  season  is  also  memorable  for  the  first 
spectacle  Chicago  had  witnessed,  "  Cherry  and  Fair 
Star;  or,  The  Children  of  Cyprus."  The  blossoming  of 
the  aloe,  the  moving  waters,  and  "  the  splendid  Grecian 
galley  "  called  forth  most  enthusiastic  encomiums  from 


218  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

the  paper,  after  its  first  performance.  It  is  curious  in 
these  days  of  matinee  madness  to  note  that  the  audi- 
ences were  almost  exclusively  masculine.  The  prejudice 
against  the  theatre  was  very  strong.  Policemen  were 
always  in  attendance  to  restrain  rows  between  pit  and 
gallery.  Extempore  criticism  was  often  rude.  The 
newspaper  advised  the  ladies  to  stay  away,  but  the 
manager  reviled  the  editor,  and  used  every  inducement 
to  secure  their  attendance.  It  was  a  hard  struggle,  but 
when  Mr.  Jefferson,  senior,  sent  a  card  to  the  ladies 
with  the  intelligence  that  the  ladies  of  Springfield 
attended  the  performances  in  that  city  and  that  theatre- 
going  was  all  the  rage  among  the  New  York  ladies,  our 
grandmothers  turned  out  in  full  force,  and  were  such  a 
restraint  that  the  police  no  longer  had  to  keep  order  or 
to  silence  too  vociferous  criticism.  It  is  also  curious  to 
note  the  demands  which  were  made  both  upon  actors 
and  audiences  as  compared  with  the  present  day,  when 
a  single  play  may  run  a  whole  season.  The  season  of 
1839,  for  instance,  began  August  31  and  closed  Novem- 
ber 2.  During  that  time  there  were  fifty-five  perform- 
ances and  ninety-two  different  plays.  What  would 
actors  think  nowadays  were  they  obliged  to  have  a 
repertory  ranging  from  tragedy  to  farce  and  from  pan- 
tomime to  spectacle  ?  And  what  would  the  audiences 
of  to-day  think  if  they  were  expected  to  sit  through 
performances  of  "Fazio"  and  the  "Taming  of  the 
Shrew "  one  evening,  "  Romeo  and  Juliet "  and  the 
"  Taming  of  the  Shrew  "  the  next  evening,  and  a  few 
nights  later  "Macbeth"  and  a  three-act  comedy? 
Surely  the  times  are  changed. 


THE  OLD  BALLADS  219 

In  1840  entertainments  began  to  multiply.  Lecturers, 
magicians,  and  singers  came,  art  exhibitions  were  inaug- 
urated, and  Barnum  brought  the  first  minstrel  troupe 
with  Master  Diamond,  a  thirteen-year-old  delineator  of 
negro  characters,  and  one  Jenkins,  who  personated 
Yankee  eccentrics.  The  famous  William  H.  Russell 
also  made  his  first  appearance  and  sang  his  descriptive 
songs  and  ballads.  In  1841  Chicago  heard  its  first 
street  band,  organized  by  Nicholas  Burdell,  expressly  to 
help  celebrate  a  Harrison  demonstration  in  the  presi- 
dential campaign.  The  town  was  also  illuminated,  and 
there  was  a  barbecue  on  the  prairie.  The  new  band 
boasted  five  clarinets,  three  trombones,  two  key  bugles, 
one  piccolo,  three  concert  horns,  one  valve  trumpet,  and 
one  bass  drum.  The  programme  of  a  concert  given  at 
the  City  Saloon,*  August  18,  1841,  by  John  A.  Still, 
contains  some  of  the  ballads  which  were  favorites  at  that 
time,  among  them,  "  Here  's  a  Health  to  thee,  Mary," 
"  The  Charm  has  departed,"  "  My  Bark  is  on  the  Bil- 
low," "  Poor  Bessie,"  "  Near  the  Lake  where  drooped 
the  Willow,"  "  Gentle  Zitella,"  "  The  Fairy  Tempter," 
and  others.  But  where  are  the  songs  of  yester  year  ? 
In  1842  the  Chicago  Sacred  Musical  Society,  C.  A. 
Collier  conductor,  was  organized,  but  its  life  was  brief. 
A  new  theatre  was  also  opened  in  the  Chapin  Building, 
southeast  corner  of  Wells  and  Randolph  streets,  under 
the  management  of  J.  S.  Hastings.  In  1844  Chicago's 
first  museum  was  opened  in  the  Commercial  Building, 
73  Lake  Street.     Musical  doings  at  the  First  Unitarian 

*  The  City  Saloon  was  not  a  drinking  resort,  but  a  hall  for  public  gath- 
erings, at  the  southwest  corner  of  Lake  and  Clark  streets. 


220  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

Church  in  the  same  year  are  of  special  interest,  as  several 
young  persons  participated  in  them  who  afterwards 
became  leading  merchants.  Rev.  Joseph  Harrington, 
the  pastor,  raised  a  fund  for  the  purchase  of  an  organ 
and  trained  the  choir  himself.  At  the  dedication  of  the 
church  a  concert  was  given.  Mrs.  Harrington  was  the 
soprano ;  Miss  Griswold,  contralto  ;  George  Davis,  bary- 
tone; Henry  Tucker,  tenor;  William  Larrabee  and 
Lyman  Beecher,  bassos;  Botsford  and  A.  H.  Burley, 
flutists;  Charles  Collier,  violinist;  and  A.  G.  Burley, 
'cellist.  The  Choral  Union  was  organized  in  1846, 
and  though  it  lasted  but  two  years,  had  three  leaders, 
J.  Johnson,  S.  P.  Warner,  and  J.  A.  Hoisington. 

The  principal  events  of  1847  were  the  organization 
of  the  Mozart  Society  and  the  opening  of  Rice's  Theatre. 
The  Mozart  Society  was  directed  by  Frank  Lumbard, 
who  in  the  same  year  was  appointed  vocal  teacher  in 
the  public  schools,  a  position  which  he  held  until  1853. 
He  and  his  brother  Jules  were  the  best  known  local 
singers  of  the  time  and  prominent  figures  in  all  musical 
events.  John  B.  Rice,  subsequently  Mayor  of  the  city, 
opened  Rice's  Theatre  at  84-86  Randolph  Street,  June  28 
of  that  year,  with  Dan  Marble  in  "  Black-Eyed  Susan," 
the  season  closing  November  28  with  the  comedy  of 
"Rent  Day,"  the  farce  "Used  Up,"  and  "The  Star- 
Spangled  Banner"  sung  by  the  whole  company.  The 
early  settlers  were  very  patriotic,  and  knew  all  the 
patriotic  songs  and  ballads  which  some  of  their  descend- 
ants have  heard  of.  The  five  men  who  did  much  for 
music  in  those  days  were  Frank  Lumbard,  George  Davis, 
and  Samuel  Johnston,  all  good  singers,  B.  August  Bode, 


DEBUT  OF  RICHARD  HOFFMAN  221 

pianist  and  teacher,  and  Sig.  Martinez,  a  teacher  of  the 
violin  and  guitar,  who  delighted  and  surprised  his  audi- 
ence at  one  of  his  concerts  by  playing  two  guitars  and  a 
violin  at  the  same  time.     His  advertisement  reads : 

"Signor  Martinez'  concert  at  the  Court  House  —  Songs 
by  a  young  lady  —  Signor  Martinez  will  hold  a  guitar  in  each 
hand  and  perforin  a  duet  on  the  violin,  Ole  Bull's  '  Cataract 
of  Niagara '  and  three  fandangos  —  Court  House  to  be  bril- 
liantly illuminated." 

An  interesting  event  in  1848  was  the  debut  of  Richard 
Hoffman,  the  first  great  pianist  to  visit  Chicago.  He 
gave  a  concert  at  the  Court  House,  assisted  by  Joseph 
Burke,  at  that  time  advertised  as  "  Master  Burke,  the 
infant  phenomenon  of  the  Shakesperean  drama."  Mr. 
Hoffman  subsequently  played  with  Jenny  Lind  in  her 
concerts,  also  with  Gottschalk  and  Von  Bulow.  The 
singing  families  also  begin  to  appear  in  the  same  year, 
among  them  the  Berger,  Peake,  Seguin,  and  Hutchin- 
son "  Tribe  of  Jesse  from  the  old  Granite  State,"  whose 
songs  rendered  such  great  service  to  the  anti-slavery 
movement.  Some  notable  actors  also  appeared  at  the 
theatres  for  the  first  time,  among  them  Julia  Dean, 
Forrest,  Booth,  and  McVicker.  Those  who  recall  the 
dignified  and  serious  manager  of  McVicker's  Theatre  in 
his  later  days  will  hardly  believe  that  in  1848  he  was 
the  singing  and  dancing  comedian  at  Rice's  Theatre. 
Joseph  Jefferson  was  Chicago's  first  song  and  dance 
man,  J.  H.  McVicker  the  second,  par  nobile  fratrum. 
There  is  a  touch  of  pathos  in  one  of  the  closing  events 
of  the  year.     David  Kennison,  the  last  survivor  of  the 


222  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

Boston  Tea  Party,  in  his  one  hundred  and  twelfth  year 
opened  a  museum,  but  it  proved  an  unfortunate  enter- 
prise. The  old  veteran,  being  in  great  want,  announced 
a  donation  party  for  his  birthday,  November  17.  In 
his  card  to  the  public  he  says :  "  I  have  fought  in 
several  battles  for  my  country  and  have  suffered  more 
than  any  other  man  will  have  to  suffer,  I  hope.  I  would 
not  go  through  the  wars  again  and  suffer  what  I  have 
for  ten  worlds  like  this."  The  poor  old  man  did  not 
make  much  out  of  his  donation  party,  died  the  same 
year,  and  was  buried  in  the  city  cemetery,  now  Lincoln 
Park.  A  boulder  stands  in  the  park  indicating  that  the 
centenarian  was  buried  somewhere  in  its  vicinity,  but 
no  one  knows  just  where  he  rests.  But  "after  life's 
fitful  fever  he  sleeps  well "  and  suffers  no  more. 

There  was  not  much  doing  in  1849.  The  old 
McKenzie  and  Jefferson  Theatre  burned  and  a  Museum 
of  curios  and  "  art  wonders  "  was  opened  by  Mr.  Buckley 
on  Lake  between  State  and  Dearborn  streets.  Conrad 
Charles  Reisinger,  however,  livened  matters  up  with  a 
unique  concert  at  the  City  Hall,  when  he  played  "  the 
Grand  Carnival  of  Milan,  acknowledged  by  Ole  Bull  to 
be  the  most  difficult  piece  ever  written  for  the  violin  "  ; 
a  fantasie,  "  Norma,"  upon  one  string  ;  the  "  Grand  Car- 
nival of  America  "  ;  selections  from  his  opera  of  "  Susan 
and  Yankee  Doodle " ;  concluding  with  a  violin  solo, 
played  lying  on  his  back,  imitating  flutes  and  birds. 

In  1850  music  takes  a  dignified  place  in  Chicago 
history,  the  most  important  events  being  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  first  Philharmonic  Society  and  the  perform- 
ance of  the  first  opera,  both  of  which  I  shall  discuss  in 


MISCELLANEOUS  CONCERTS  223 

subsequent  chapters.  The  minor  events  were  visits  by 
various  minstrel  troupes,  among  them  the  Alleghanians, 
Baker  Family,  the  Columbians,  Campanologians,  and 
the  Ethiopian  Serenaders.  In  the  latter  troupe  one  Mr. 
Price  introduced  the  concertina,  "  a  new  instrument,  the 
first  in  any  band,  said  by  musical  critics  to  be  the  ne 
plus  ultima  of  Ethiopian  instruments."  Signor  Blitz 
delighted  the  ladies  and  children  with  his  ventrilo- 
quism and  trained  canaries.  The  first  vocal  quartette, 
Messrs.  Davis,  Dunham,  Frank  Lumbard,  and  Miss  Mary 
Nowlin,  was  organized  and  gave  concerts.  The  Germans 
entered  the  field  with  the  German  Song  Union,  the  fore- 
runner of  many  Manner chors.  One  Mrs.  Stewart  gran- 
diosely advertised  a  concert,  announcing  herself  as  a 
member  of  the  Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  also 
affirming  that  she  would  imitate  a  cornet-a-pistons  as 
performed  in  Boston  by  Count  de  la  Porte  of  Paris.  The 
old  settlers,  however,  were  not  interested  in  the  Handel 
and  Haydn  Society,  or  the  female  gramaphone,  or  the 
French  count,  and  the  lady  left  town  next  day. 

In  1851  many  families  and  minstrel  troupes  gave 
concerts,  among  them  the  Blakely  family,  Kelmiste 
family,  Hutchinson  family,  the  Albions,  Gray's  Ethiopian 
Warblers,  Kunkel's  Nightingales,  and  the  Druid  Players, 
who  performed  upon  seventy  ox-horns.  Dempster,  one 
of  the  finest  of  ballad-singers,  Anne  Bishop,  of  whom 
mention  is  made  in  a  preceding  chapter,  and  Ignatz 
Krauz  also  gave  concerts.  The  latter  was  a  Hungarian 
singer  who  announced  eighteen  national  melodies  in 
fourteen  languages.  As  this  concert,  however,  was  thinly 
attended,   he   tried   to  recoup  himself   by  offering  six 


224  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

hundred  and  fifty  tickets  with  a  chance  in  forty  prizes 
of  jewelry  and  shawls,  and  thus  inaugurated  the  gift 
concert  scheme,  which  became  very  popular  a  few  years 
later.  In  1853  and  1854  musical  interest  in  Chicago 
centred  in  the  Philharmonic  concerts  and  operatic  be- 
ginnings, which  brings  me  to  my  own  early  days  in 
Chicago  and  closes  this  prelude. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
EARLY    OPERA    IN    CHICAGO 

THE  FIRST  OPERA  —  SONNAMBULA  AT  RICE'S  THEATRE  — 
BURNING  OF  THE  THEATRE  —  THE  ARTISTS'  ASSOCIATION 
—  OPERA  AT  MoVICKER's  THEATRE  —  THE  FIRST  ITALIAN 
TROUPE  —  GREAT  ENTHUSIASM  —  A  MISHAP  AT  NORTH'S 
AMPHITHEATRE  —  OPERATIC  RIVALRY  IN  1860  —  THE 
WAR  PERIOD  —  THE  GRAU  TROUPES  —  SOME  HOME  CON- 
CERTS —  THE  FIRST  GERMAN  TROUPE  —  GRAU'S  TROUPE 
OF    MEDIOCRITIES 

ON  Monday,  July  29,  1850,  there  was  great  excite- 
ment among  the  thirty  thousand  people  of 
Chicago,  for  the  first  opera  troupe  was  in  town, 
and  a  performance  of  "  Sonnambula  "  was  announced 
for  that  evening  in  Rice's  Theatre.  It  was  a  very  small 
troupe  and  travelled  very  light.  The  artists,  three  or 
four  in  number,  had  come  from  Milwaukee  some  days 
previously  by  vessel.  Having  no  orchestra  of  their 
own,  the  theatre  band  was  engaged,  and  some  of  the 
theatre  people  and  a  few  local  singers  undertook  to 
perform  one  or  two  choruses.  The  cast  included  Elise 
Brienti  as  Amina ;  Mr.  Manvers  as  Elvino ;  and  Mr. 
Giubetti  as  Count  Rodolfo.  The  theatre  was  crowded. 
The  ladies  were  out  in  full  force,  dressed  in  the  pre- 
vailing circumference  of  style  at  that  time,  and  those 
belonging  to  the  swell  set  were  distinguished  by  their 
lorgnettes.  Most  of  the  gentlemen  were  dressed  in  fault- 
less evening  suits,  for  the  swallow-tail  was  an  everyday 

15 


226  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

coat  in  those  days.  The  front  rows  were  filled  with 
"  leading  citizens,"  who  were  very  enthusiastic.  Frank 
Lumbard,  an  honest  claqueur,  led  the  applause  with  his 
sonorous  "  Well !  Well ! "  when  his  critical  taste  was 
satisfied.  The  "  opry  "  was  all  the  talk  on  the  next 
day,  and  the  theatre  was  crowded  again  on  the  second 
evening.  The  first  act  passed  off  finely,  and  the  duet, 
"  0  mio  dolor,"  in  which  Amina  protests  her  innocence, 
was  heartily  applauded.  The  ovation,  however,  was  re- 
served for  the  charming  villagers,  Chicago  villagers,  as 
they  tiptoed  into  the  Count's  apartment.  The  curtain 
rose  for  the  second  act  and  Elvino  was  just  bemoaning 
his  sad  lot  in  his  tenor  aria  when  street  cries  of  fire 
were  audible  and  a  sudden  glare  reddened  the  windows. 
A  small  building  adjacent  had  taken  fire,  and  the  flames 
almost  instantly  spread  to  the  theatre,  which  was  a 
wooden  tenement.  There  was  no  panic,  however.  Mr. 
Rice,  the  manager,  came  to  the  footlights,  assured  the 
audience  that  they  had  ample  time  to  leave  the  theatre, 
and  smilingly  remarked,  "  Of  course  you  know  that  I 
would  not  permit  any  one  to  be  injured  in  my  theatre." 
The  people  took  him  at  his  word,  passed  quietly  out,  and 
watched  its  destruction.  In  half  an  hour  it  was  a  heap 
of  ashes  and  rubbish.  Thus  ended  Chicago's  first  opera 
season.  What  became  of  the  little  troupe  history  does 
not  relate.  It  is  usually  stated  that  the  fire  occurred 
on  the  opening  night,  but  Mr.  J.  H.  McVicker  once  told 
me  that  it  was  on  the  second  night,  and  as  he  was  an 
enthusiastic  member  of  the  home  chorus,  "  singing  as  if 
he  were  the  whole  show  so  that  the  audience  might  be 
sure  to  hear  him,"  he  should  be  good  authority. 


THE  ARTISTS'  ASSOCIATION  227 

Mr.  Rice  soon  built  another  theatre,  and  pending  its 
construction  the  large  dancing-hall  of  the  Tremont 
House  was  fitted  up  for  entertainments  and  christened 
Tremont  Hall.  It  was  there  that  Adelina  Patti  made 
her  first  appearance,  as  has  already  been  stated,  though 
before  that  she  sang  privately  in  the  dining-room  of  the 
same  hotel  and  was  remunerated  by  the  guests  with 
dolls,  candy,  or  canary  birds,  her  three  grand  juvenile 
passions.  In  1853  a  troupe  with  the  pretentious  name 
of  "  The  Artists'  Association  "  came  from  New  York, 
heralded  as  follows  by  its  manager: 

"The  undersigned,  acting  in  the  name  and  in  behalf  of 
Madame  De  Vries  and  Signor  Arditi,  known  by  the  name  and 
style  of  the  Artists'  Association,  has  the  honor  of  calling  the 
attention  of  the  musical  community  and  of  the  citizens  of 
Chicago  in  general  to  the  fact  that  he  has  made  arrangements 
with  Mr.  Rice,  the  manager,  to  have  the  Italian  Opera  Troupe 
on  Thursday  evening,  October  27,  at  the  Chicago  Theatre  to 
perform  the  opera,  in  three  acts,  of  "  Lucia  di  Lammermoor." 
The  undersigned  begs  leave  to  introduce  the  following  artists : 
The  grand  prima  donna,  Signorina  R.  De  Vries ;  the  favorite 
tenor,  Signor  Pozzolini ;  the  tenor,  Signor  Arnoldi ;  the  com- 
primaria,  Madame  Sidenbourg,  late  of  Madame  Albani's 
troupe ;  the  unrivalled  barytone,  Signor  Taffanelli,  and  the 
eminent  basso,  Signor  Colletti.  Also  a  grand  and  efficient 
chorus  and  grand  orchestra.  This  great  company  numbers 
over  forty  members,  the  whole  under  the  most  able  direction 
of  the  distinguished  maestro,  Signor  Arditi. 

"G.  POGLIANI." 

"The  distinguished  maestro  Arditi"  was  palmed  off 
upon  a  guileless  community  which  knew  not  one  Arditi 
from  another.  The  season  lasted  from  October  27  to 
November   7,    and    the   three   operas   performed   were 


228  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

"  Sonnambula,"  "  Norma,"  and  "  Lucia."  I  have  only 
the  cast  of  "  Lucia,"  which  was  as  follows :  Lucia, 
Rosa  de  Vries ;  Edgardo,  Pozzolini ;  Sir  Henry  Ashton, 
Taffanelli;  Lord  Arthur,  Bouchsland.  The  season 
closed  with  a  performance  of  Rossini's  "  Stabat  Mater," 
which  inaugurated  the  practice  of  giving  the  "  Stabat " 
for  a  closing  piece,  followed  by  Italian  troupes  for 
several  years.  It  infused  the  season  with  a  certain 
odor  of  sanctity,  although  it  is  sacred  music  written  in 
purely  operatic  style. 

It  was  five  long  years  before  Chicago  heard  opera  again. 
In  the  meantime  Mr.  McVicker  had  built  a  theatre  on 
the  site  of  the  present  "  McVicker's,"  and  in  this  new 
structure  the  Durand  English  Opera  Troupe,  comprising 
Rosalie  Durand,  soprano,  Miss  King,  alto,  Frederick 
Lyster,  basso,  and  Georgia  Hodson,  tenor,  gave  perform- 
ances during  the  week  beginning  September  27,1858.  The 
novel  feature  of  the  season  was  a  lady  singing  all  the 
tenor  roles.  It  was  in  this  theatre,  the  following  year, 
that  grand  opera  was  given  for  the  first  time,  attended 
by  the  fashion  and  the  chivalry  of  the  city.  When  it 
is  remembered  that  Italian  opera  was  inaugurated  by 
the  Garcia  troupe  in  New  York  as  early  as  1825,  and 
that  New  Orleans  had  regular  seasons  even  before  that 
time,  it  may  seem  that  opera  was  a  long  time  in  reach- 
ing Chicago ;  but  in  1825  there  were  many  more  Indians 
than  white  men  here,  and  when  New  Orleans  was  en- 
joying its  regular  seasons  of  opera  there  were  hardly 
half  a  dozen  whites  outside  the  walls  of  Fort  Dearborn. 
Notwithstanding  Chicago  grew  rapidly,  even  as  late  as 
the  fifties  it  was  considered  by  Eastern  people  as  a  place 


THE  FIRST   ITALIAN  TROUPE  229 

in  the  far  West,  occupying  a  region  still  populated  with 
Indians,  buffaloes,  and  coyotes.  The  first  Italian  troupe, 
however,  met  with  such  success  in  its  season,  beginning 
February  22,  1859,  that  others  rapidly  followed  it.  The 
first  troupe  included  Teresa  Parodi,  Amalia  Patti,  Cora 
Wilhorst,  who  belonged  to  a  wealthy  New  York  family, 
Pauline  Colson,  Henry  Squires,  who  died  in  Iowa  last 
year  at  an  advanced  age,  Brignoli,  the  elder  Amodio, 
Junca,  Nicolo,  and  Ettore  Barili,  Adelina  Patti's 
brother,  and  Maurice  Strakosch,  conductor.  The 
troupe  gave  fifteen  performances  of  operas  new  to 
Chicago,  including  "  Lucrezia  Borgia,"  "  Traviata," 
"I  Puritani,"  "  Rigoletto,"  "II  Trovatore,"  "Martha," 
"La  Favorita,"  "Don  Giovanni,"  "Maritana,"  "Ernani," 
and  "IlPoliuto."  The  season  closed  with  an  extra 
performance,  March  11,  for  the  benefit  of  Strakosch, 
the  theatre  company  appearing  in  the  comedy  "  Speed 
the  Plough,"  and  the  opera  company  in  acts  from  "  La 
Traviata  "  and  "The  Barber  of  Seville."  The  two  favor- 
ites were  "  II  Trovatore "  and  "  Martha,"  and  the  two 
favorite  singers  were  Colson  and  Brignoli.  If  a  refer- 
endum had  been  taken,  I  think  "  Martha  "  would  have 
polled  the  larger  vote.  The  audience  lustily  applauded 
Brignoli's  silvery  singing  of  the  tuneful  lays  of  Manrico 
in  "  II  Trovatore,"  and  did  not  care  much  for  Parodi  or 
Amalia  Patti  in  the  same  opera;  while  in  "Martha"  they 
heard  not  only  Brignoli,  but  the  pretty  and  vivacious 
Colson  and  airs  which  were  still  more  tuneful.  When 
Colson  sang  "The  Last  Rose  of  Summer"  and  kissed 
her  rose  directly  at  the  people,  they  simply  went  frantic, 
and  kept  her  singing  it  until  she  was  nearly  exhausted, 


230  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

not  to  mention  Brignoli's  patience.  This  enthusiasm 
is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  Remember,  it  was  the  first 
season  of  real  opera.  The  orange  had  not  been 
squeezed.  Full  dress  was  not  imperative.  Seats  were 
not  five  dollars  each.  Opera  was  something  new  and 
fresh,  and  people  were  still  in  the  tune  stage.  They 
had  not  heard  then  of  music  dramas,  motifs,  the  dra- 
matic recitative  opera,  or  music  of  the  future.  They 
lived  in  the  days  of  operatic  Arcadia,  where  melody  was 
born  and  where  the  art  of  bel  canto  still  lives.  Conse- 
quently they  adored  "  Martha."  Indeed  it  would  be 
hard  even  in  these  days  to  make  a  cast  which  would 
equal  that  of  almost  fifty  years  ago,  —  Martha,  Colson  ; 
Nancy,  Amalia  Patti;  Lionel,  Brignoli;  Plunket,  Junca; 
Tristan,  Nicola. 

The  Cooper  English  Opera  Troupe  came  in  the  follow- 
ing April  and  gave  several  performances  at  North's  Am- 
phitheatre, a  huge  barn-like  structure  on  Monroe  Street, 
where  the  Ravels  gave  their  inimitable  pantomime  for 
the  first  time  and  the  first  calliope  was  heard.  The 
mention  of  this  theatre  recalls  the  memory  of  a  ludi- 
crous personal  mishap.  I  was  anxious  to  write  up  the 
ingenious  tricks  and  trap  work  used  by  Francois  Ravel, 
the  Harlequin  of  the  troupe,  and  was  invited  behind 
during  performance.  The  drop  curtain,  containing  an 
aperture  just  large  enough  to  allow  Harlequin  to  make 
a  horizontal  dive  through  it,  was  down,  and  Francois 
in  front,  amusing  the  audience.  As  the  manager  and 
I  were  crossing  the  stage  I  was  exactly  opposite  the 
aperture  when  Harlequin  made  his  plunge.  His  head 
struck  me  amidships  with  such  force  that  I  was  bowled 


OPERATIC  RIVALRY  231 

over,  while  he  bounded  back,  and  wildly  clutching  in  all 
directions  with  legs  and  arms,  at  last  dropped  upon  the 
stage  in  full  view  of  the  convulsed  audience.  I  retired 
from  the  field  satisfied  with  that  piece  of  Harlequin's 
machinery  and  without  stopping  to  listen  to  his  Gallic 
expletives.  The  Cooper  troupe  included  Anna  Milner, 
Lucy  Estcott,  Brookhouse  Bowler,  Aynesley  Cook,  Ru- 
dolphsen,  and  Miss  Duckworth.  The  last  named  was 
a  chorus  singer,  but  I  have  named  her  with  the  prin- 
cipals because  later  she  took  a  leading  contralto  posi- 
tion on  the  Italian  stage  under  the  name  of  Morensi. 
The  troupe  gave  "  Sonnambula,"  and  "  Lucia,"  and 
also  performed  "  The  Bohemian  Girl "  and  "  L'Elisir 
d'Amore "  for  the  first  time  here.  During  the  first 
week  in  the  following  December  the  town  was  in  a 
fever  of  excitement  over  its  first  operatic  war,  for 
two  companies  were  here  at  the  same  time,  and  a 
fierce  rivalry  ensued.  An  English  opera  troupe,  in- 
cluding Lucy  Estcott,  Fannie  Kemp,  who  afterwards 
married  Bowler,  Miranda,  a  very  popular  tenor,  and 
Miss  Duckworth,  occupied  McVicker's  Theatre.  This 
gave  the  English  a  great  advantage  at  the  very  outset, 
as  they  had  a  well-equipped  stage,  while  the  Italian 
troupe  had  to  make  the  best  of  a  hall  —  the  Metro- 
politan, which  was  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Lasalle 
and  Randolph  streets.  It  was  a  fair  troupe,  including 
Parodi,  Caroline  Alaimo,  Hattie  Brown,  Sbriglia,  an  ex- 
cellent tenor,  and  Banti,  basso,  and  the  Metropolitan  was 
an  admirable  concert-hall ;  but  its  stage  was  not  very 
large,  and  it  required  considerable  skill  and  ingenuity 
to  secure  operatic  illusions.    Under  such  disadvantages 


232  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

the  Italians  gave  "  La  Traviata,"  "  Ernani,"  "  Norma," 
"II  Trovatore,"  and  "Poliuto."  The  English  troupe 
not  only  gave  "The  Bohemian  Girl,"  "Maritana," 
"  Rob  Roy,"  and  "  Guy  Mannering,"  but  boldly  met 
the  Italians  on  their  own  ground  and  produced  "II 
Trovatore,"  "  Lucia,"  "  Sonnambula,"  "  Lucrezia  Bor- 
gia," and  "The  Daughter  of  the  Regiment."  The 
struggle  was  fierce  but  brief,  and  ended  in  the  rout  of 
the  Italians,  who  were  very  poorly  managed. 

Between  1861  and  1863  there  was  another  operatic 
gap.  It  was  war  time,  and  the  people  of  Chicago  were 
too  deeply  engrossed  with  George  F.  Root's  "  Battle  Cry 
of  Freedom  "  and  *  Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys  are 
Marching"  to  listen  either  to  Italian  arias  or  English 
songs.  The  sweetest  of  prima  donnas  and  the  most  tune- 
ful of  Italian  tenors  warbled  in  vain  to  people  who  would 
rather  go  to  the  Court  House  steps  and  hear  the  Lum- 
bards  and  John  Hubbard  and  Charley  Smith  sing  the 
war  songs.  There  were  some  incidental  but  poorly 
attended  concerts,  however,  in  1861.  One  troupe,  in- 
cluding Brignoli,  Miss  Hinckley,  Susini,  Mancusi,  and 
Mollenhauer,  produced  operas  like  "  Don  Pasquale  "  and 
others  which  did  not  require  a  chorus  and  for  which 
a  piano  was  sufficient  accompaniment,  and  Mollenhauer 
played  'cello  solos.  The  performances  were  excellent 
but  unremunerative.  The  troupe  was  here  in  April, 
and  it  will  be  remembered  that  it  was  in  April,  1861, 
that  Fort  Sumter  was  surrendered  after  bombardment 
by  the  Confederate  batteries.  People  were  not  in  a 
mood  for  operatic  concerts.  But  Chicago  was  not 
entirely  destitute  of  musical  events  that  year.      Inez 


THE  WAR  PERIOD  233 

Fabbri  with  her  husband,  Richard  Mulder,  "  pianist 
and  composer  for  her  Majesty  the  Queen  of  Holland," 
and  Abelli,  the  barytone,  gave  concerts  in  which  Fabbri 
cut  up  all  sorts  of  patriotic  tricks.  Cassie  Matteson, 
the  favorite  local  contralto,  also  gave  concerts  with 
Adams,  the  opera  tenor,  Jules  Lumbard,  and  Sarah 
Tillinghast,  the  pianist,  and  the  latter  also  gave  a 
series  of  excellent  organ  recitals  at  St.  Paul's  Church. 
How  many  of  Cassie  Matteson's  admirers,  I  wonder, 
attended  her  concert  more  than  twenty  years  after  this 
time,  when  she  returned  from  her  long  wanderings  in 
Australia  and  South  Africa  only  to  find  how  soon  we 
are  forgotten  when  we  are  gone  ?  There  was  no  opera 
in  1862,  but  Gilmore  livened  up  people  with  his  patri- 
otic music  and  led  his  band  most  audaciously  through 
the  intricate  mazes  of  the  first  movement  of  Berlioz's 
"  Harold  in  Italy  "  symphony,  Zoehler  playing  the  viola 
solo  part,  which  Junker  used  to  play  so  admirably,  — 
Junker  of  the  Theodore  Thomas  orchestra,  now  teach- 
ing the  young  Japs  musical  ideas  to  shoot  in  far-off 
Tokyo.  Gottschalk  and  Carlotta  Patti  also  gave  some 
enjoyable  concerts  with  popular  programmes,  to  which 
reference  has  been  made  in  a  previous  chapter. 

In  1863  Jacob  Grau,  thinking  that  the  country  was 
sufficiently  safe  to  warrant  an  opera  season,  brought  a 
troupe  to  McVicker's  Theatre  which  included  Lorini, 
better  known  as  Virginia  Whiting,  Cordier,  a  charming 
little  French  soubrette,  Morensi,  Fanny  Stockton,  who 
died  afterwards  on  the  stage,  Brignoli,  Macaferri,  Ital- 
ianized from  McAffery,  the  only  Irish-Italian  operatic 
tenor   I    can    call   to   mind,    Lotti,   a   tenor   grazioso, 


234  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

whose  singing  of  "  Meinen  Engel,  nenn'  Ich  mein  "  was 
a  dream  of  beauty,  Amodio  the  barytone,  and  Susini, 
basso.  They  gave  us  "  Dinorah,"  "  Sicilian  Vespers," 
"  Un  Ballo  en  Maschera,"  M  La  Juive,"  and  Rossini's 
"  Moses  in  Egypt "  for  the  first  time.  Opera,  therefore, 
made  a  little  progress  in  the  third  year  of  the  war. 
Besides  this  season  of  opera,  home  talent  was  busy  in 
1863.  Mrs.  Bostwick,  an  admirable  artist,  Miss  Dewey, 
Miss  Ellsworth,  M.  Dochez,  better  known  by  his  stage 
name  of  De  Passio,  an  excellent  barytone,  who  subse- 
quently forsook  the  concert  stage  for  the  more  lucrative 
wine  business,  Mr.  Sabin,  Mr.  Phillips,  William  Lewis, 
the  violinist,  and  Louis  Staab,  the  pianist,  joined  hands 
in  giving  the  Old  Ladies'  Home  a  benefit  at  Bryan  Hall, 
which  was  dedicated  in  1860  under  the  auspices  of 
Hans  Balatka,  by  Mrs.  Bostwick,  Louis  Staab,  De 
Passio,  and  Henri  de  Clerque,  a  finished  violinist.  The 
dedicatory  poem  for  this  occasion  was  written  by  Benja- 
min F.  Taylor,  whose  poetical  talent  has  never  been 
fully  recognized  except  by  some  versifiers  who  tried  to 
steal  his  poems  after  he  had  passed  away.  Two  or 
three  of  these  poachers  claimed  the  authorship  of  one 
of  his  finest  poems  beginning  "  There 's  a  Beautiful  Isle 
up  the  River  of  Time."  I  am  glad  that  I  can  establish 
his  authorship.  I  was  associated  with  him  in  journal- 
ism and  saw  him  write  it  one  afternoon  in  the  room  we 
jointly  occupied,  and  he  read  it  to  me  for  the  first  time 
that  day.  The  choir  of  St.  Mary's,  the  church  at  that 
time  being  located  on  the  corner  of  Madison  Street  and 
Wabash  Avenue,  also  gave  concerts  at  which  Miss 
Conkey,  who  as  Mrs.  Crosby  is  now  well  known  as  an 


THE  GRAU  TROUPES  235 

illustrator  of  Wagner,  played  the  piano  excellently,  and 
it  is  refreshing  to  state  that  she  was  not  a  pupil  of 
Liszt  or  Leschetizsky  or  any  one  else,  being  a  self-made 
player.  The  local  orchestra  also  appeared  in  prize  con- 
certs, at  which  pianos,  sewing  machines,  albums,  writing 
desks,  watches,  jewelry,  and  silver  plate  were  distributed 
among  the  lucky  ticket-holders. 

In  1864  there  were  three  operatic  seasons.  Grau 
gave  two  weeks  of  opera  at  McVicker's  with  a  troupe 
including  Vera  Lorini,  Cordier,  Morensi,  Castri,  Fischer, 
Steifani,  Tamaro,  Morelli,  Hartmann,  Formes,  Colletti, 
Barili,  and  Mancusi,  and  returned  in  May  with  the  same 
company  reinforced  by  Virginia  Whiting  and  Amodio. 
This  season  is  memorable  for  the  first  performance  of 
Gounod's  Faust,  the  cast  of  which  was  as  follows : 
Marguerite,  Vera  Lorini ;  Siebel,  Morensi ;  Martha, 
Fischer ;  Faust,  Tamaro ;  Mephistopheles,  Morelli ; 
Valentin,  Amodio ;  Wagner,  Colletti.  The  Soldiers' 
March  was  played  by  the  Light  Guard  Band,  whose 
appearance  was  hailed  with  acclamations,  for  there  was 
much  civic  pride  in  Chicago  at  that  time.  In  July 
Adelaide  Phillips  headed  a  small  troupe  including  Man- 
cusi, Susini,  Zapucci,  Locatelli,  and  Brignoli,  and  gave 
"  The  Barber  of  Seville  "  and  "  Don  Pasquale."  Upon 
this  occasion  Brignoli,  for  the  first  and  only  time  in  his 
life,  announced  a  "  farewell  to  America."  He  returned 
many  times  thereafter,  of  course.  He  had  merely  caught 
the  farewell  fever  and  had  it  light. 

Chicago  made  its  banner  record  of  opera  in  1865. 
In  January  Leonard  Grover  brought  the  first  thor- 
oughly equipped  German  opera  troupe  and  gave  fifteen 


236  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

performances  at  McVicker's.  The  troupe  comprised 
Frederici,  Johannsen,  and  Rotter,  sopranos ;  Dziuba  and 
Canissa,  altos ;  Himmer,  Habelman,  and  Tamaro,  tenors ; 
Theodore  Formes,  Graff,  and  Haimer,  barytones ;  and 
Hermanns,  Steinecke,  and  Urchs,  bassos.  It  was  a 
fine  array  of  artists.  "  La  Dame  Blanche,"  "  Der  Frei- 
schiitz,"  "  Tannhauser,"  "  Fidelio,"  and  "The  Magic 
Flute  "  were  presented  for  the  first  time.  In  December 
Grover  gave  his  second  season  of  German  opera,  with 
his  troupe  reconstructed  as  follows :  Johanna  Rotter 
and  Bertha  Johannsen,  sopranos ;  Sophie  Dziuba,  Freda 
de  Gebele,  and  Rose  Cooke,  altos ;  Habelman  and 
Tamaro,  tenors  ;  Duschnitz,  barytone  ;  Steinecke,  Herr- 
mans,  and  Weinlich,  bassos.  It  was  not  so  strong  a 
troupe  as  the  first  one,  but  it  gave  some  excellent  per- 
formances. It  was  during  this  year  that  the  Crosby 
Opera  House  was  dedicated  —  an  event  of  such  impor- 
tance as  to  deserve  a  chapter  to  itself.  Even  conceding 
the  superior  adaptation  of  the  present  Auditorium  to 
the  production  of  opera,  it  is  doubtful  whether  Chicago 
will  ever  have  a  more  comfortable,  convenient,  and 
enjoyable  audience-room  or  one  with  more  perfect 
acoustics  than  Crosby's. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
THE    CROSBY    OPERA    HOUSE 

ITS  CONSTRUCTION  —  A  HIVE  OF  ART  INDUSTRIES  —  DEDICA- 
TION IN  1865  —  AN  OVATION  TO  GENERALS  GRANT  AND 
SHERMAN  —  OPERA  SEASONS  —  DEBUTS  AND  FIRST  PER- 
FORMANCES —  THE    LOTTERY  —  THE    MYSTERIOUS    MR.    LEE 

—  U.  H.  CROSBY  LOSES   THE    HOUSE  —  NEW    MANAGEMENT 

—  GILMORE  INAUGURATES  THE  CHARITY  BALLS  —  A  PE- 
RIOD OF  DECADENCE  —  FROM  OPERA  TO  VAUDEVILLE  —  RE- 
DECORATION  —  ITS  DESTRUCTION  IN  THE  GREAT  FIRE  — 
SUMMARY  OF   OPERATIC   EVENTS 

THE  Crosby  Opera  House  is  a  landmark  in  the 
musical  history  of  Chicago.  It  was  a  veritable 
hive  of  artistic  industries.  In  addition  to  the 
opera  auditorium  it  housed  a  large  art  gallery  and 
numerous  studios  of  music  teachers,  painters,  and  sculp- 
tors. It  was  built  by  an  enterprising  Chicago  citizen, 
Uranus  H,  Crosby.  He  devoted  to  its  construction  the 
fortune  which  he  had  made  in  commercial  business, 
and  he  likewise  sacrificed  it  all  in  some  mysterious  way 
in  its  management,  before  the  house  was  a  prey  to  the 
terrible  fire  of  1871. 

The  Crosby  Opera  House  was  located  on  the  north 
side  of  Washington,  midway  between  State  and  Dear- 
born streets,  and  it  also  included  a  music  hall  fronting 
on  State  Street.  It  was  four  stories  in  height  and  was 
built  in  the  French  style,  common  in  public  edifices  at 
that  time.     The  auditorium  occupied  the  entire  rear  of 


238  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

the  building,  and  was  divided  into  an  orchestra,  par- 
quette,  and  dress  circle  on  the  main  floor,  a  balcony  with 
fifty-six  elaborately  decorated  boxes  in  the  centre,  and 
a  family  circle.  The  proscenium  circle  was  a  single 
panel,  upon  which  a  copy  of  Guido  Reni's  "  Aurora " 
was  frescoed,  with  frescoes  of  Comedy  and  Tragedy  to 
the  right  and  left.  There  were  also  sunken  panels  in 
the  ceiling  containing  portraits  of  composers.  The 
decorations  of  the  house  were  both  rich  and  artistic.  It 
was  a  model  of  comfort,  convenience,  beauty,  and  safety 
as  well,  for  it  was  provided  with  exits  both  to  Washing- 
ton and  State  streets,  egress  from  the  upper  tier  to 
roofs  of  adjacent  buildings,  and  there  were  automatic 
steam  appliances  for  deluging  the  stage  in  case  of  acci- 
dent. It  was  a  combined  opera  house,  art  gallery,  and 
home  of  arts  and  crafts,  upon  which  money  had  been 
lavishly  expended  and  of  which  Chicago  was  very 
proud.  It  was  just  such  a  structure  as  Chicago  needs 
to-day. 

The  opera  house  was  completed  in  1865,  and  its  in- 
auguration was  announced  for  April  17  of  that  year, 
but,  on  account  of  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln, 
it  was  postponed  until  April  20.  Upon  that  evening 
the  house  was  densely  crowded  with  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  audiences  ever  assembled  in  Chicago.  Jacob 
Grau,  deeply  impressed  with  the  importance  of  the 
occasion  as  well  as  with  his  own  personal  relation  to 
it,  had  brought  a  troupe  of  excellent  artists,  including 
Zucchi  and  Clara  Louise  Kellogg,  sopranos;  Morensi, 
Fischer,  and  Zapucci,  altos;  Massimiliani,  Mazzoleni, 
and    Lotti,    tenors ;    Bellini,    Orlandini,    Lorini,    and 


n 

- 

o 


O 
X 


DEDICATION  OF  CROSBY  OPERA  HOUSE  239 

Dubreul,  barytones ;  and  Susini,  Colletti,  Muller,  Perni, 
and   Ximenes,   bassos.     The   veteran    Carl   Bergmann 
wielded   the   baton.      George    C.    Bates,   a    prominent 
lawyer  and   flowery  speaker  of   those  days,  delivered 
a   brief  and  ornate  address,  and  a  poem  was  read  by 
W.  B.  C.  Hosmer.     After  these  preliminary  exercises 
"  II  Trovatore  "  was  performed  with  the  following  cast 
Leonora,    Zucchi ;   Azucena,  Morensi ;  Manrico,  Massi 
miliani ;    Count  Di   Luna,   Bellini ;    Fernando,   Coletti 
The  repertory  for  the  rest  of  the  season  was  as  follows 
April    21,   "Lucia,"    with  Kellogg  and   Massimiliani 
April   22,  "  II   Trovatore "  ;   April  24,  "  II   Poliuto " 
April  25,  "Martha";  April  26,  "Norma";  April  27 
"Faus.  ";  April  28,   "Linda";  April  29,  "Norma" 
May  3,*  "Sonnambula"  ;  May  4,  "  I  Puritani ";  May  5 
"Un  Ballo  en  Maschera;  "  May  6,  "Linda";  May  7 
"  Don  Sebastian  "  (first  time) ;  May  9,  "  Don  Sebastian  " 
May    10,    "  Faust "  ;    May    11,    "  Lucrezia    Borgia " 
May  12,  "  Martha"  ;  May  13,  "  Un  Ballo  en  Maschera  " 
May  15,  "Ernani " ;  May  16,  "  Don  Giovanni "  ;  May  17 
"Fra   Diavolo"    (first   time);   May   18,    "Don   Sebas 
tian  "  ;  May  19,  "  Fra  Diavolo  "  ;  May  20,  closing  per 
formance,  "  Sonnambula,"  and  the  last  act  of  "  Lucia 
di  Lammermoor."     It  was  a  record-breaking  season  for 
J.  Grau.     The  first  concert  in  the  new  opera  house  was 
given  May  25,  under  the  management  of  Max  Strakosch, 
by   Mademoiselle  Behrens,  soprano;  Wehli,  the  "left- 
hander," pianist ;   and  Helene  de   Katow,  one  of  the 

*  There  were  no  performances  the  first  and  second  of  May,  owing  to  the 
civic  reception  of  the  body  of  Lincoln  on  the  way  to  its  last  resting- 
place  in  Springfield,   Illinois. 


240  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

feminine  artists  who  have  had  the  courage  to  master 
the  'cello  and  utilize  it  as  a  solo  instrument.  I  par- 
ticularly remember  her  refined  playing  of  Offenbach's 
"  Musette "  and  the  Servais  fantasia  on  themes  from 
"  The  Daughter  of  the  Regiment/'  and  who  of  those 
who  heard  it  is  likely  to  forget  Wehli's  lightning  left- 
handed  performance  of  his  own  fantasia  on  themes 
from  "  Lucia  "  ?  It  was  a  freak  exhibition,  to  be  sure, 
but  it  was  excusable,  for  it  always  seemed  to  me  that 
Wehli  played  better  with  one  hand  than  with  two. 
On  the  thirty-first  another  concert  was  given,  this 
time  by  the  Germania  Mannerchor  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Northwestern  Sanitary  Fair,  the  memorable  fea- 
ture of  which  was  Hummel's  "  Military  Septet,"  in 
which  Paul  Becker  played  the  piano  part,  the  other 
six  parts  being  taken  by  members  of  the  Musicians' 
Union.  On  June  5  Grau  returned  with  the  same 
troupe  and  gave  a  second  season,  which  closed  June  20. 
The  memorable  features  of  this  season  were  the  first 
performance  of  Verdi's  "  Sicilian  Vespers,"  in  which 
Zucchi,  Mazzoleni,  and  Bellini  had  the  principal 
parts,  and  a  performance  of  "The  Daughter  of  the 
Regiment "  in  honor  of  Lieutenant  General  Grant  and 
Major  General  Sherman,  who  were  in  attendance  by  in- 
vitation of  the  management  and  as  guests  of  the  city, 
for  "  war's  stern  alarums  had  changed  to  merry  meet- 
ings, its  dreadful  marches  to  delightful  measures." 
The  cast  for  this  gala  occasion  was  as  follows  :  Marie, 
Clara  Louise  Kellogg ;  Marchioness,  Madame  Fischer ; 
Tonio,  Lotti ;  Sulpizio,  Susini ;  Hortenzius,  Muller ; 
Cartouche,  Locatelli.     The  generals  entered  their  box 


AN  OVATION  TO  GENERALS  GRANT  AND  SHERMAN  241 

together,  amid  rousing  cheers,  orchestral  fanfares,  fol- 
lowed by  the  national  anthem,  the  waving  of  flags,  and 
flutter  of  handkerchiefs.  General  Grant  acknowledged 
the  ovation  in  his  customary  quiet  manner,  but  General 
Sherman,  who  was  fond  of  being  lionized,  was  more 
effusive  in  his  recognition.  It  is  only  truth  to  say  that 
neither  of  the  war  heroes  seemed  to  be  very  deeply  en- 
grossed with  the  doings  of  the  vivandiere  and  her  com- 
panions until  the  "  Rataplan  "  was  sung.  Both  of  them 
rose  to  the  occasion  as  Kellogg  briskly  directed  the  drum 
song  straight  at  them.  Perhaps  it  aroused  memories  of 
the  scenes  in  camp  and  field  through  which  they  had  so 
lately  passed.  I  do  not  think  either  of  them  cared 
greatly  for  music.  If  General  Grant  did,  he  had  no  way 
of  showing  it.  Perhaps,  like  Nietzsche,  he  wanted  to 
express  delight  but  did  n't  know  how.  As  for  General 
Sherman,  I  saw  him  once  at  a  Cincinnati  Festival  pre- 
tending to  listen  to  the  Beethoven  Choral  Symphony, 
the  very  picture  of  distress  and  wanting  to  get  away. 
Verdi's  "  La  Forza  del  Destino  "  was  also  given  in  this 
season,  June  13,  for  the  first  time  in  this  country, 
and  Grau  boasted  that  it  was  produced  in  Chicago 
even  before  it  was  heard  in  Paris  or  London.  He  did 
not  say,  however,  that  the  opera  was  not  a  drawing  card, 
which  might  have  accounted  for  French  and  English 
indifference. 

On  November  8  Grau  brought  another  Italian  troupe 
to  the  opera  house  and  gave  a  season  which  closed 
December  1.  With  one  or  two  exceptions  it  was  a 
heterogeneous  collection  of  mediocrities  gathered  from 
everywhere,    including    No    Man's    Land.      The    most 

10 


242  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

remarkable   thing   about   them   was  their   picturesque 
nomenclature.     Those  announced  for  "  the  first  time  in 
America"  were  Leonilda  Boschetti,  Olga  Olgini,  Mureo 
Celli,    and    Signors   Anastasi,    Brandini,    Milleri,    and 
Fellini.       Other    unknowns    were    Noel    Guidi,    Cash 
Pollini,   Signora   Magra,    Mademoiselle    Manfred,    and 
Signor  Laporte.     The  only  ones  known  to  the  public 
were  Gazzaniga,  Coletti,  Orlandini,  Lotti,  Tamaro,  and 
Lucy  Simons,  who  made  her  debut,  November  21,  as 
Adina  in   "L'Elisir   d'Amore."     At   the   close   of  the 
season  away  went  these  extraordinary  songbirds,  but, 
as  in  the  case  of  Schumann's  gypsies,  "  who  can  tell 
where?"     The  indefatigable  Grau,  however,  turned  up 
again  in  1866  and  brought  out  "  L'Africaine"  June  17, 
for  the  first  time,  with  the  following  cast :  Selika,  Gaz- 
zaniga;   Inez,    Boschetti;    Vasco,    Musiani;    Nelusko, 
Orlandini;  Don  Pedro,  Milleri.     The  performance  was 
mediocre,  but  being  a  novelty,  it  drew  crowds.     In  May 
of  the  same  year  Madame  Ghioni  and  Susini  came  with 
a  scratch  company  for  a  short  season,  of  which  I  recall 
only  the  first  production  of  "Crispino  e  la  Comare" 
and  Canissa's  charming  singing  and  acting  of  the  part 
of  Annetta.     It  is  curious  that   this  delightful   little 
opera,  after  slumbering  for  nearly  half  a  century,  was 
revived   last  season  in  New  York.     There  are  many 
other  slumbering  little  operas,  both  French  and  German, 
which  might  be  revived  and  would  prove  most  grateful 
substitutes  for  the  tiresome  dramatic  recitative  works 
which  are  now  forced  upon  an  unwilling  public.     After 
concerts  by  members  of  Grover's  old  German  company 
and  the  charming  Bateman  concerts  in  which  Parepa, 


OPERA  SEASONS  243 

Brignoli,  Ferranti,  Mills  the  pianist,  and  Carl  Rosa 
appeared,  an  opera  season  of  fifteen  nights  began 
December  24  in  which  Max  Strakosch  presented 
Madame  Ghioni,  Madame  Patti-Strakosch,  Mademoiselle 
Canissa,  Madame  Zapucci,  the  tenors  Irfre  and  Errani, 
the  barytones  Marra,  Locatelli,  Sarti,  and  Parozzi,  and 
the  bassos  Susini,  Coletti,  Ximenes,  and  Massio.  The 
star  of  the  troupe  was  Ettore  Irfre,  the  tenor.  He 
appeared  in  "II  Trovatore,"  "  L'Africaine,"  "Fra 
Diavolo,"  "Ernani,"  "Un  Ballo  en  Maschera,"  '*  Robert 
the  Devil,"  and  "  Lucia  di  Lammermoor."  He  was  a 
tenor  of  the  grand  style,  with  a  rich,  powerful  voice  and 
the  genuine  Italian  method.  No  one,  I  feel  sure,  who 
heard  his  glorious  voice  in  the  "Lucia"  sextet  will 
ever  forget  Irfre.  In  the  early  part  of  1867  Maretzek 
gave  a  season  of  opera  in  which  Minnie  Hauck  made 
her  first  appearance,  as  well  as  the  veteran  buffo 
Ronconi.  He  also  brought  out  for  the  first  time  "  Star 
of  the  North,"  "  Zampa,"  and  Petrella's  "  Carnival  of 
Venice."  The  La  Grange-Brignoli  combination  gave 
some  concerts,  but  apart  from  these  two  artists  the 
troupe  was  an  inferior  one.  In  October  La  Grange  and 
Brignoli  came  again,  this  time  with  a  small  opera 
company,  their  leading  people  being  Adelaide  Phillips, 
Miss  McCulloch,  Massimiliani,  Randolfi,  Marra,  Susini, 
Coletti,  and  Sarti.  The  season  closed  November  9,  and 
the  repertory  consisted  of  the  old  stock  Italian  operas. 
Immediately  following  them  came  the  Mendelssohn 
Quintette  Club  of  Boston,  as  it  was  first  organized, 
including  Wilhelm  Schultze,  first  violin,  Carl  Meisel, 
second    violin,    Thomas     Ryan,    viola    and    clarinet, 


244  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

Edward  M.  Heindl,  flute,  and  Wulf  Fries,  'cello.  They 
were  the  best  chamber  music  players  of  the  day,  occu- 
pying the  same  position  then  that  the  Kneisel  Quartette 
does  to-day. 

A  memorable  and  mysterious  occurrence,  in  which 
the  Crosby  Opera  House  was  involved,  happened  the 
same  year.  It  was  generally  believed  that  the  house 
had  been  enriching  its  enterprising  young  proprietor, 
but  it  was  suddenly  apparent  that  it  had  been  slowly 
but  surely  dragging  him  to  the  verge  of  bankruptcy. 
He  had  spent  money  extravagantly.  Knowing  little 
about  the  details  of  the  operatic  business,  he  was  at 
the  mercy  of  managers.  He  was  generous  to  a  fault, 
and  undoubtedly  his  generosity  had  been  abused  more 
than  once  during  the  two  years  which  had  elapsed  since 
the  brilliant  inauguration  night.  To  save  himself,  he 
resorted  to  a  lottery  scheme  in  which  the  opera  house 
was  the  capital  prize.  It  was  advertised  all  over  the 
country  at  a  time  when  lotteries  and  gift  enterprises 
were  very  popular.  Besides  the  house  itself,  a  large 
number  of  excellent  paintings  and  minor  prizes  were 
offered,  and  a  chromo  was  sent  to  each  ticket-holder. 
This  accounts  for  the  profusion  of  copies  of  Hunting- 
ton's "  Mercy's  Dream,"  which  may  still  be  found  hang- 
ing on  parlor  walls  all  over  the  Western  prairies  —  the 
only  souvenirs  of  the  great  lottery  which  made  such  a 
sensation  January  23,  1867.  On  that  day  thousands 
crowded  into  the  Crosby  Opera  House,  each  one  hoping 
to  be  its  proprietor  when  he  went  out.  There  were 
two  hundred  and  ten  thousand  numbers,  but  a  consider- 
able bunch  of   them   was  held  out  by  Mr.  Crosby  as 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  MR.   LEE  245 

undisposed  chances.  A  committee  of  well-known  citizens 
had  charge  of  the  drawing,  and  Mr.  W.  F.  Coolbaugh, 
the  banker,  who  afterwards  ended  his  life  so  sadly  at 
the  base  of  the  Douglas  monument,  was  the  chairman. 
The  owner  of  the  winning  ticket  was  not  among  the 
thousands  in  attendance.  He  was  not  a  citizen  of  Chi- 
cago. After  a  day  had  passed  sceptics  began  to  declare 
he  was  a  myth.  It  was  several  days  before  he  was  dis- 
covered and  identified  as  one  A.  H.  Lee  of  Prairie  du 
Rocher,  Illinois.  The  air  was  at  once  full  of  wild  stories. 
Some  declared  there  was  no  such  person.  A  report 
came  from  Prairie  du  Rocher  of  nocturnal  visitants 
who  arrived  at  his  home  with  the  news  of  his  good 
fortune  and  of  the  dazed  condition  of  Lee  as  he  met 
the  night-riders  in  his  night-dress  and  contemplated 
the  vision  of  dazzling  wealth  which  had  so  suddenly 
showered  upon  him.  As  time  passed,  the  mystery 
grew.  There  were  stories  that  Lee  sold  it  back  to 
U.  H.  Crosby  for  $200,000.  The  veil  of  mystery 
grew  still  denser  when  it  was  discovered  shortly  that 
U.  H.  Crosby  had  retired  from  the  gay  world  in  which 
he  had  cut  so  conspicuous  a  figure  and  gone  to  a  quiet 
New  England  village  (where  he  ended  his  days),  and  that 
the  house  had  passed  into  the  possession  of  his  brother 
Albert.  It  is  useless  to  try  to  remove  the  veil.  It  is 
sufficient  to  know  that  the  Crosby  Opera  House  contin- 
ued under  the  management  of  Albert  Crosby,  but  its 
career  was  blemished  after  it  had  been  dragged  through 
the  lottery.     There  was  "a  blot  on  the  'scutcheon." 

The   new  manager  sought  to  reestablish  the  Opera 
House  in   public  favor,  and   give   it  social  distinction 


246  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

by  importing  Gilmore,  who  brought  his  band,  and 
with  it  Camilla  Urso,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith  the  Boston 
soprano,  Arbuckle  the  cornetist,  and  Dr.  Guilmette 
the  oratorio  basso.  Promenade  concerts  were  given 
several  evenings,  and  the  charity  balls,  which  have 
cut  such  a  figure  in  fashionable  life  ever  since,  were 
inaugurated.  There  was  another  gleam  of  hope  that 
the  house  might  reclaim  its  artistic  status  when  the 
combined  forces  of  Maretzek  and  Grover  appeared  in 
February  for  a  season  of  Italian  and  German  opera. 
The  two  impresarios  brought  with  them  Mesdames 
Kapp- Young,  Gazzaniga,  Minnie  Hauck,  Antoinetta 
Ronconi,  Natali  Testa,  Frederica  Ricardi,  and  Signors 
Pancani,  Baragli,  Giorgio  Ronconi,  Bellini,  Antonucci, 
Enrico  Testa,  Barili,  Banfi,  Ricardo,  Dubreul,  Hermanns, 
and  Habelman.  Maretzek  conducted  the  Italian,  and 
Carl  Bergmann  the  German  contingent.  The  season 
lasted  one  week,  and  "  Romeo  and  Juliet "  was  the 
principal  feature,  with  Minnie  Hauck  as  Juliet  and 
Pancani  as  Romeo.  In  March  the  skies  brightened 
once  more.  The  Richings  opera  troupe  appeared  in 
the  favorite  old  English  operas  with  Caroline  Richings, 
Zelda  Seguin,  Campbell,  Castle,  Seguin,  J.  G.  Peakes, 
Henry  Peakes,  and  Pierre  Bernard  in  the  principal  roles. 
Eichberg's  pretty  little  opera,  "The  Doctor  of  Alcan- 
tara," "  Cinderella,"  and  Benedict's  "  Lily  of  Killarney  " 
were  the  novelties.  Opera  bouffe  followed  in  April,  in- 
troducing the  Lambele  troupe,  to  which  I  have  referred 
in  a  previous  chapter.  In  May  the  La  Grange-Brignoli 
combination  gave  a  single  concert  and  a  performance  of 
"  Don  Pasquale."    After  the  summer  vacation  Bateman 


Thomas  Whiffen 
As  Sir  Joseph  Porter 


A  PERIOD  OF  DECADENCE  247 

brought  the  Tostee  opera  bouffe  company,  and  in  Sep- 
tember Maretzek  appeared  with  another  combination  of 
Italians  and  Germans,  including  Agatha  States,  Louise 
Durand,  Johanna  Rotter,  Miss  McCulloch,  Rosa  Cellini, 
Jennie  Appel,  Brignoli,  Habelman,  Macafferi,  Ronconi, 
Hermanns,  and  Antonucci,  the  season  closing  Octo- 
ber 17.  The  repertory  was  a  curious  conglomerate, 
"Martha,"  "  Fidelio,"  "  Ernani,"  "Don  Giovanni," 
"Fra  Diavolo,"  "Robert  the  Devil,"  "Der  Freischiitz," 
"  Masked  Ball,"  and  "  Crispino,"  following  each  other 
in  regular  succession.  In  October,  however,  Crosby 
Opera  House  took  a  downward  slant  when  the  spec- 
tacular "  Humpty-Dumpty  "  was  produced,  and  "  all  the 
king's  horses  and  all  the  king's  men  "  were  not  able 
to  put  it  together  again.  In  November  the  Richings- 
Bernard  Troupe  (Miss  Richings  was  at  this  time  Mrs. 
Bernard)  reappeared  with  the  old  troupe,  but  pro- 
duced nothing  new  except  "  II  Trovatore "  and  "  La 
Traviata"  in  English. 

In  1869  Crosby  Opera  House  strayed  far  afield  from 
the  purposes  to  which  it  was  dedicated  four  years  pre- 
viously. The  programmes  of  that  year  show  a  curious 
medley  of  entertainments.  Miss  Kellogg' s  concert 
troupe,  including  Alida  Topp,  Herr  von  Kopta,  and 
Signors  Lotti  and  Petrella,  were  followed  by  "  The  Field 
of  the  Cloth  of  Gold,"  in  which  Mademoiselle  Tumour, 
"queen  of  air,"  Alice  Oates,  Swiss  bell-ringers,  Leon 
Brothers  the  gymnasts,  and  other  freaks  appeared. 
Susan  Galton's  opera  troupe,  with  Blanche  Galton,  Pyne 
Galton,  "  Tom  "  Whiffen,  and  others  presented  a  series 
of   delightful  operettas.     It  is  a  pity  these  cannot   be 


248  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

reproduced,  so  that  opera-goers  of  to-day  might  know 
how  operettas  should  be  given;  but  such  artists  as  were 
in  that  troupe  could  hardly  be  found  now.  Nearly  all 
of  them  were  of  the  Pyne  lineage,  which  means  that 
they  had  preserved  the  traditions  of  English  opera  at 
its  best.  In  April  Alice  Oates  was  frisking  about  in 
"  Humpty-Dumpty  "  again.  In  May  the  Desclauzas' 
opera  bouffe  troupe  was  brought  by  Grau.  In  July  the 
Peak  Family  appeared  with  bell-ringers,  character  per- 
sonators,  a  female  piccolo  player,  and  casino  singers  — 
in  a  word,  vaudeville,  which  was  followed  by  a  scratch 
Italian  opera  troupe.  In  September  the  Gregorys 
introduced  trained  animals,  acrobats,  and  pantomimists, 
and  late  in  the  same  month  "  Formosa,  or  the  Rail- 
road to  Ruin,"  made  such  a  success  that  it  was  speedily 
placed  upon  the  boards  at  McVicker's  Theatre  and 
Wood's  Museum,  and  was  also  given  in  black  by  Em- 
erson's and  Manning's  Minstrels.  An  English  opera 
troupe  composed  of  some  of  the  old  Richings  artists, 
reenforced  by  Parepa,  Henri  Drayton,  and  the  charming 
little  Rose  Hersee,  closed  the  year,  Balfe's  "Puritan's 
Daughter"  being  the  only  novelty. 

The  story  of  1870  may  be  told  briefly.  Fox  and 
Kiralfy  pantomimes,  the  "  Seven  Sisters,  or  the  Daugh- 
ters of  Satan  on  a  visit  to  Chicago,"  another  scratch 
opera  troupe,  made  up  of  left-overs  from  the  old 
troupes  who  were  stranded  and  glad  to  catch  at  any- 
thing, the  "  Twelve  Temptations,"  —  owned  by  Colonel 
James  Fisk,  the  gay  cavalier,  who  always  had  a  large 
stock  of  temptations  on  hand,  and  who  finally  suc- 
cumbed to  them  and  went,  in  his  own  phrase,  "  where 


REDECORATION  249 

the  woodbine  twineth,"  —  "  Undine,"  "  The  Green 
Huntsman,"  "The  Black  Crook,"  "  The  White  Fawn," 
and  several  other  spectacles  combining  colors  enough  to 
outdo  a  rainbow,  followed  each  other  upon  a  stage 
dedicated  to  high  art. 

The  next  year  (1871)  opened  with  more  of  these 
glittering  gewgaws,  but  in  February  the  Crosby  Opera 
House  returned  to  its  original  uses.  Maretzek  made 
his  annual  appearance  with  a  German  troupe,  including 
Lichtmay,  Rossetti,  Frederici,  Bernard,  Wilhelm  Formes, 
Carl  Formes,  Himmer,  Habelman,  Vierling,  and  Fran- 
osch,  and  gave  as  a  novelty  "  The  Merry  Wives  of 
Windsor,"  with  Carl  Formes  as  Falstaff.  Those  who 
saw  his  fine  personation  of  the  fat  knight  are  not  likely 
soon  to  forget  it.  Summer  days  came,  and  the  house 
was  closed  for  repairs  and  redecoration.  During  the 
winter  of  1870  Mr.  Crosby  had  hesitated  for  some  time 
whether  to  continue  in  the  amusement  business,  and 
had  even  requested  his  architect  to  draw  plans  for 
changing  the  auditorium  into  commercial  offices.  The 
persuasion  of  friends,  however,  induced  him  to  continue. 
A  change  into  "  something  rich  and  strange "  was 
promised.  The  autumn  days  came.  They  were  hot 
and  sere,  and  furious  burning  winds  swept  across  the 
prairies.  Week  after  week  passed  without  rain.  There 
were  warning  voices  in  prairie  and  forest  fires,  and  the 
whole  city  experienced  a  feeling  of  depression  and  a 
presentiment  of  something  terrible  to  happen.  But  the 
work  upon  the  Opera  House  went  on.  Eighty  thousand 
dollars  was  expended  in  seatings,  upholstery,  frescoing, 
and  painting,  in  luxurious  carpets,  superb  bronzes,  and 


250  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

costly  mirrors.  The  evening  of  October  9  was  set 
for  the  reopening  of  what  was  nearly  a  new  Crosby 
Opera  House.  Theodore  Thomas  was  to  rededicate  it 
to  the  higher  music,  with  his  incomparable  orchestra. 
Marie  Krebbs,  the  pianist,  was  to  have  been  the  solo 
artist.  I  regret  that  my  programme  for  the  opening 
night  fell  a  prey  to  the  impending  disaster,  but  I  re- 
member that  the  announcements  of  the  season  which 
was  to  be  and  never  was,  included,  among  other 
numbers,  Schubert's  quartet  in  D  minor,  Schumann's 
First  and  Fourth  symphonies,  Beethoven's  Third  and 
Fifth,  and  concertos  by  Rubinstein,  Mendelssohn,  Bee- 
thoven, Littolf,  Weber,  Chopin,  and  Liszt,  which  Miss 
Krebbs  was  to  have  played.  The  work  was  concluded 
Saturday,  October  7.  I  returned  from  my  vacation  that 
day  and  found  upon  my  desk  an  invitation  to  see  the 
Opera  House  lit  up  at  seven-thirty  the  next  evening. 
I  was  there  at  the  appointed  time,  in  company  with 
others  who  were  enthusiastic  in  their  appreciation  of 
the  brilliant  transformation  which  had  been  effected 
and  over  the  seemingly  brilliant  prospects  of  the  season 
of  1871-1872.  Three  or  four  hours  later  I  saw  Crosby 
Opera  House  lit  up  by  the  flames  of  the  most  destructive 
conflagration  of  modern  times  —  a  fire  best  described 
by  the  word  which  General  Sherman  used  as  a  defi- 
nition of  war.  The  beautiful  structure  seemed  to  melt 
away.  I  saw  it  a  little  distance  off,  when  it  first  burst 
out  in  flame.  It  did  not  seem,  to  catch  fire  at  any 
particular  point.  It  was  as  if  a  huge  wave  of  fire 
swept  over  and  devoured  it.  When  Theodore  Thomas 
and  his  orchestra  arrived  the  following  morning,  they 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  OPERA  HOUSE  IN  THE  FIRE      251 

stopped  at  the  Twenty-second  Street  Station  of  the 
Lake  Shore  Railroad.  A  burning  city  barred  their 
nearer  approach.  A  pile  of  smoking  bricks,  stones,  and 
iron,  one  among  thousands  more  of  the  same  kind, 
strewn  about  in  wild  confusion,  stood  in  the  place  of 
the  beautiful  auditorium  where  they  were  to  have 
played.  Crosby  Opera  House  was  no  more !  Gone  with 
all  its  memories  and  associations  and  nights  of  pleasure ! 
But  the  Opera  House  was  not  the  only  victim.  Not  a 
concert  hall,  theatre,  museum,  music  school,  or  studio 
was  left.  Many  of  the  musicians  fled  from  the  city,  for 
they  felt  that  music  would  be  the  last  of  the  phoenix 
brood  to  rise  from  the  ashes. 

To  enter  into  details  of  opera  seasons  after  the  fire, 
or  to  recall  personal  memories  of  artists  connected  with 
them,  would  involve  repetition  of  facts  already  stated 
in  personal  sketches  or  mention  of  artists  still  upon  the 
stage,  which  would  be  foreign  to  the  scheme  of  these 
"  Memories."  In  place  of  it  I  append  a  brief  statement 
of  the  most  important  operatic  events  from  the  time  of 
the  fire  to  the  dedication  of  the  Auditorium,  which  may 
be  valuable  for  reference  : 

1872.  Debut  of  Wachtel  at  the  Globe  Theatre. 

1873.  (February)  Maretzek  Troupe.  Debut  of  Lucca  in  "Favorita"  and 
first  performance  of  "Mignon";  Kellogg  Troupe.  Debut  of  Jennie 
van  Zandt  and  Joseph  Maas. 

1874.  Strakosch  Troupe.  Debuts  of  Nilsson,  Cary,  Campanini,  Capoul,  and 
Del  Puente.     First  performance  of  "Aida." 

1875.  Strakosch  Troupe.  Debuts  of  Albani,  Heilbron,  and  Tagliapietra. 
First  performance  of  "Lohengrin"  with  Albani  as  Elsa. 

1876.  Strakosch  Troupe.  Debut  of  Madame  Palmieri.  First  performance 
of  "Semiramide." 

1877.  Pappenheim-Adams  German  Troupe. 

1878.  Strakosch  Troupe.     Debuts  of  Marie  Roze,  Litta,  and  Pantaleoni. 

1879.  Mapleson  Troupe.     Debuts  of  Gerster,  Sinico,  Lablache,  Galassi, 


252  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

and  Foli.     Strakosch  Troupe.     Debuts  of  Teresita  Singer,  Anna  de 
Belocca,  Petrovitch,  and  Castelmary. 

1880.  Mapleson  Troupe.  Debuts  of  Marimon,  Ambr6,  and  Valleria. 
International  Company.  Debuts  of  Laura  Schirmer,  Abbie 
Carrington,  and  Perugini.  First  performance  of  Boito's 
"  Mephistopheles." 

1881.  Mapleson  Troupe.  Debut  of  Ravelli.  Beauplan  New  Orleans 
Troupe.     Debuts  of  Tournier,  Utto,  Jourdan,  and  Lablache. 

1882.  Mapleson  Troupe.  Debut  of  Emma  Juch.  Strakosch  Troupe. 
Debuts  of  Bertha  Ricci,  Mancini,  and  George  Sweet. 

1883.  Mapleson  Troupe,  with  Patti.  Debuts  of  Meirzwinski  and 
Scalchi. 

1884.  Abbey  Troupe.  Debuts  of  Sembrich  and  Fursch-Madi.  First  per- 
formance of  "La  Gioconda."      Mapleson  Troupe  headed  by  Patti. 

1885.  Damrosch  German  Troupe.  Debuts  of  Materna,  Brandt,  Schott, 
and  Staudigl.  First  performance  of  Gluck's  "Orpheus"  and 
Wagner's  "Die  Walkure." 

1886-1887.    American  Opera  Troupe.     First  performance  of  "Queen  of 

Sheba"  and  "Nero." 
1889.    Dedication  of  the  Auditorium. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE    ORCHESTRA    IN    CHICAGO 

JULIUS  dyhrenfurth's  story  —  ibach's  "sharp  corner"  — 

HOW  THE  FIRST  ORCHESTRA  WAS  ORGANIZED  —  VARIOUS 
PHILHARMONIC  SOCIETIES  —  CARL  BERGMANN's  FAILURE  — 
THE  FIRST  MASQUERADE  —  HENRY  AHNER'S  MELANCHOLY 
FATE  —  THE  UNGER-MOZART  RIVALRY  —  HANS  BALATKA 
—  THE    PHILHARMONIC    OF    THE    SIXTIES  —  ITS    RISE    AND 

FALL THE    PHILHARMONIC    FUNERAL  —  EARLY    CHAMBER 

MUSIC  —  A  GLIMPSE  AT  THE  SANGERFESTS  —  ADVENT  OF 
THE  THOMAS   ORCHESTRA 

IT  is  nearly  forty  years  ago  that  Julius  Dyhrenfurth 
told  me  the  story  of  his  wanderings,  as  we  dined 
together  at  that  cosy  restaurant  of  Ibach's,  at  the 
"Sharp  Corner,"  so  famous  in  those  days  for  its  good 
dinners.  Theodore  Thomas,  a  connoisseur  in  matters  of 
this  kind,  once  said  to  me,  a  Ibach's  is  the  only  place 
I  have  found  where  you  can  order  a  dinner  for  a  com- 
pany without  specifying  the  courses  and  know  that 
everything  will  be  satisfactory."  Ibach's  restaurant 
was  an  unpretending  little  place,  homely  within  and 
without,  where  you  were  sure  to  find  spotless  linen, 
excellent  service,  dinners  perfectly  cooked,  and  the 
choicest  wines  of  Ibach's  own  importation.  It  was  a 
cheery  Bohemian  place,  where  you  were  always  sure  of 
meeting  people  whom  you  wanted  to  see.  You  were 
also  very  sure  to  meet  Ibach  at  the  door  when  you 
entered,  and  his  old-fashioned  practice  of  escorting  you 


254  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

to  the  door  and  sending  a  "  Gute  Nacht"  after  you  when 
you  left  was  agreeable.  If  you  were  well  acquainted 
with  him,  he  would  also  play  the  zither  for  you  while 
you  were  at  table.  We  have  plenty  of  elegantly  decor- 
ated restaurants  and  gilded  cafes  now.  but  memory  goes 
back  longingly  now  and  then  to  Ibach's  and  to  Billy 
Boyle's  snug  little  retreat  in  the  alley.  The  loss  of 
these  is  one  of  the  penalties  imposed  by  the  growth 
of  municipal  wealth  and  fashion. 

It  was  over  a  bottle  of  Ibach's  choicest  Mosel  that 
Dyhrenf urth  told  me  his  story.  He  left  Germany  in  the 
thirties,  with  his  fiddle  as  sole  companion,  to  make  his 
way  in  the  world.  In  New  York  he  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  another  fellow-wanderer,  one  Joseph  Hermanns, 
a  pianist,  and  they  travelled  together,  giving  concerts  in 
various  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  and  West  Virginia  towns. 
Then  they  went  South  and  played  in  New  Orleans  and 
other  Southern  cities.  It  is  curious  how  many  foreign 
musicians,  as  soon  as  they  landed,  went  to  the  South  in 
those  early  days.  It  apparently  indicates  that  the  South 
at  that  time  offered  a  better  field  for  musicians  than  the 
North.  Dyhrenfurth  did  not  make  his  fortune  concert- 
izing.  On  the  contrary,  the  financial  outlook  was  so 
gloomy  that  he  went  back  to  Germany  in  1841.  In  a 
few  years  political  affairs  in  Prussia  became  so  un- 
settled and  the  revolutionary  spirit  so  active,  that  he 
came  back  to  the  United  States,  and  the  year  1847 
found  him  in  Chicago.  Being  of  a  social  nature,  and 
hail  fellow  well  met  with  every  one,  and  violinists  being 
scarce  at  that  time,  he  and  his  fiddle  were  in  frequent 
requisition.     In  the  latter  part  of  December  of  that  year 


HOW  THE  FIRST  ORCHESTRA  WAS  ORGANIZED     255 

he  gave  a  concert,  assisted  by  Bode,  a  pianist,  and 
Signor  Martinez,  a  guitar  player  of  local  celebrity,  and 
thus  was  formally  introduced  to  the  musical  world  of 
the  city.  As  concerts  did  not  pay  very  well,  he  bought 
a  little  tract  of  land  on  the  western  outskirts  of  the  city 
and  started  a  truck  garden.  At  that  time  many  ex- 
patriated Germans  were  flocking  to  this  country,  and 
some  of  them  came  to  Chicago.  They  were  always 
welcome  at  the  Dyhrenfurth  home,  and  as  nearly  all  of 
them  could  play  some  instrument,  they  were  all  the 
more  welcome.  They  played  and  practised  together, 
and  at  last  Dyhrenfurth  suggested  that  they  organize  a 
little  orchestra  and  give  some  concerts  in  the  city. 
Thus  was  Chicago's  first  orchestra  born,  and  it  was 
christened  with  the  dignified  name  of  "Philharmonic 
Society."  On  the  fourth  of  September,  1850,  the 
following  advertisement  appeared  in  "The  Chicago 
Tribune  " : 

"Philharmonic  Subscription  Concert.  Mr.  Dyhren- 
furth begs  leave  to  inform  the  public  and  lovers  of  music  that 
he  proposes  giving  a  series  of  eight  concerts,  one  a  week,  if  a 
sufficient  number  of  subscribers  can  be  found  to  insure  the 
expenses.  The  performance  will  be  on  a  larger  scale  than 
heretofore,  embracing  solos,  orchestra,  and  chorus.  Terms  for 
eight  concerts,  $3.00.  The  ticket  admits  one  lady  and  gentle- 
man, with  the  privilege  of  one  single  ticket  for  25c.  Sub- 
scription tickets  found  at  Burley  &  Co.'s  bookstore." 

The  first  concert  was  given  October  24,  1850,  upon 
the  occasion  of  the  dedication  of  Tremont  Hall,  the 
orchestra  being  assisted  by  George  Davis,  Frank  Lum- 
bard,  and  Dr.  Dunham,  vocalists.  The  programme 
included  a  potpourri,  by  the  orchestra ;   a  song,  with 


256  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

vocal  quartette  accompaniment;  a  violoncello  solo,  by 
Carlino  Lenssen ;  the  "  Chicago  Waltz,"  composed  by 
Lenssen  for  the  occasion  and  performed  by  the  orches- 
tra ;  a  vocal  trio,  by  Messrs.  Davis,  Lumbard,  and  Dun- 
ham ;  a  medley  overture  of  negro  airs,  and  a  chorus  from 
Weber's  "  Preciosa."  There  was  no  regular  criticism  in 
the  papers  of  1850.  Some  friend  who  had  attended  the 
concerts  would  send  in  his  impressions,  and  from  one  of 
these  contributions  I  gather  that  the  "  Chicago  Waltz  " 
was  the  favorite.  The  writer  indulges  in  the  following 
rhapsodical  flight : 

"  To  our  taste,  the  gem  of  the  evening  was  the  •  Chicago 
Waltz,'  composed  for  the  violoncello  by  Lenssen,  with  guitar 
accompaniment.  It  was  soft,  tender,  lulling,  wafting  the 
listener  as  gently  as  gossamer  is  borne  upon  the  breeze,  and 
anon  carrying  him  round  and  round  and  up  and  up  in  a  spiral 
motion  delightful  to  feel." 

This  reads  like  materialism  run  loose,  but  is  it  any  more 
absurd  than  the  materialism  of  the  latest  production  of 
the  genius  of  to-day  ?  Is  it  more  ridiculous  than  the 
"  Symphonia  Domestica  "  of  Richard  Strauss,  in  which 
with  varied  cacophony  he  narrates  the  day's  experiences 
of  his  baby  and  the  antics  of  the  assembled  relatives  ? 
The  orchestra  gave  the  series  of  eight  concerts,  as  an- 
nounced, and  at  the  close  all  concerned  were  out  of 
pocket,  —  an  orchestral  result  which  is  not  exceptional 
even  to-day.  Dyhrenfurth,  however,  was  not  discouraged. 
In  the  Fall  of  1851  he  was  again  in  the  field ;  and  asso- 
ciating with  himself  Mr.  Mould,  the  music  dealer  of 
those  days,  he  gave  two  seasons  of  concerts,  winding  up 
with  a  grand  concert  and  ball  on  New  Year's  Eve,  at 


THE  DYHRENFURTH  ORCHESTRA  257 

Melodeon  Hall.  The  ball  was  a  brilliant  success  for 
those  days.  One  paper  says :  "  There  were  eighty 
couples  present.  The  music  was  splendid.  The  orches- 
tra was  fine.  About  ten  o'clock  it  was  reenforced  by 
the  theatre  orchestra,  and  the  hours  glided  away  upon 
a  tide  of  harmony."  The  Dyhrenfurth  orchestra  at 
that  time  numbered  twenty-two  pieces.  The  names  of 
the  members  of  Chicago's  first  orchestra  should  be 
preserved,  though  all  of  them  are  now  chiselled  on  grave- 
stones. They  were  as  follows :  First  violins,  Dyhren- 
furth, Geisler,  and  Buderbach ;  second  violins,  Hartnung, 
Pandbar,  and  Leder ;  violas,  Salzman  and  Leder ;  'cello, 
Palme ;  double  basses,  Schafer  and  Richter ;  trombone, 
Dean ;  flutes,  Schmitz  and  Lungear ;  clarinets,  Salzman 
and  Weinman;  bassoons,  Ramociotti  and  Lutting; 
cymbals,  Thompson ;  kettledrum,  Faber.  The  subjoined 
programme  of  the  concert  and  ball  alluded  to  above 
shows  a  decided  advance  over  that  of  the  first  concert. 

PART   I 

1.  Overture  to  "  Zampa  " Harold 

Orchestra 

2.  "Non  tu  sogni,"  from  "I  Lombardi" Verdi 

Miss  Fanny  Raymond 

3.  Clarinet  solo 

Mr.  Ramociotti 

4.  Potpourri  from  "Stradella" Flotow 

Orchestra 

5.  Piano  solo,  "La  Cracovienne" 

Miss  Emily  Raymond 

6.  Ballad,  f  Child  of  Earth" 

Miss  Fanny  Raymond 

7.  Champagne  galop 

Orchestra 

PART   II 

Grand  Promenade  Concert  and  Dance,  Dyhrenfurth,  conductor,   Dean, 
caller. 

17 


258  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

The  concerts  of  1850  and  1851  proved  disastrous  to 
Dyhrenfurth.  During  the  next  two  years  he  made 
several  efforts  to  recoup  himself,  but  at  last  abandoned 
the  attempt  to  give  regular  seasons  of  concerts.  Other 
aspirants  for  orchestral  fame  and  fortune  appeared,  but 
they  did  not  fare  much  better.  In  1852  another  Phil- 
harmonic society  was  organized  with  G.  P.  Abell  as 
conductor,  but  the  outlook  was  so  discouraging  that  he 
resigned  in  1853  and  was  succeeded  by  Christopher 
Plagge.  An  effort  was  now  made  to  place  the  Philhar- 
monic Society  on  a  substantial  basis.  Regular  officers 
were  elected  and  a  board  of  directors  appointed.  Appli- 
cation was  made  to  the  Legislature  for  an  act  of  incor- 
poration. The  petition  was  excitedly  discussed  by  the 
Solons  at  Springfield.  There  was  the  same  rural  jeal- 
ousy of  Chicago  which  exists  at  the  present  day,  and 
some  of  the  farmers  were  not  quite  certain  that  ulterior 
and  perhaps  dangerous  motives  were  not  lurking  behind 
that  mysterious  word  "  Philharmonic."  At  last,  how- 
ever, they  were  convinced  that  the  society  had  no  inten- 
tion of  setting  the  prairies  on  fire,  and  somewhat 
reluctantly  granted  the  incorporation,  but  expressed 
their  contempt  for  such  municipal  triviality  by  entitling 
it  "  an  act  to  encourage  the  science  of  fiddling."  Plagge 
did  not  last  long,  and  the  fiddlers  themselves  found  little 
pecuniary  compensation  in  the  new  dignity  of  incorpo- 
ration. 

In  1854  Plagge  was  succeeded  by  a  great  musician. 
Carl  Bergmann  came  to  Chicago  from  New  York  with 
the  intention  of  making  his  home  here.  He  advertised 
for  pupils,  and  the  directors  of  the  Society,  who  were 


CARL  BERGMANN'S  FAILURE  259 

acquainted  with  his  reputation  in  the  East,  tendered 
him  the  conductorship.  He  took  the  baton  with  high 
hopes  of  building  up  the  orchestra  and  advancing  the 
standard  of  music  in  the  young  city.  He  gave  two 
concerts  which  promised  well,  but  he  soon  discovered 
that  the  German  musicians  did  not  like  him  and  were 
forming  cabals  against  him  which  would  be  sure  to 
impair  his  usefulness,  if  not  defeat  his  purposes.  There- 
upon he  promptly  resigned  and  left  the  city.  I  have 
never  been  able  to  discover  the  cause  of  this  opposition, 
and  can  only  attribute  it  to  the  fact  that  he  was  too 
great  a  musician  for  them  to  comprehend.  Pending  the 
appointment  of  a  new  conductor,  Dyhrenfurth  reap- 
peared and  gave  a  short  season  of  promenade  concerts, 
closing  with  a  masquerade  and  ball.  As  it  was  the  first 
ball  of  that  kind  ever  given  in  the  city,  the  following 
newspaper  report  of  it  may  be  interesting : 

"  The  hall  was  crowded  with  a  gay  assembly,  a  large  major- 
ity of  whom  were  en  costume,  and  everything  passed  off  right 
merrily.  There  was  every  variety  of  characters  represented, 
from  a  monk  treading  measures  with  the  daughter  of  the 
regiment,  to  Brother  Jonathan  ogling  a  bevy  of  flower  girls. 
The  whole  affair  was  creditable  to  Mr.  Dyhrenfurth  and  gave 
entire  satisfaction  to  all  who  participated  in  it.  Captain 
Robert  Kinzie,  the  Indian  agent,  appeared  in  Indian  costume 
and  danced  an  Indian  dance  to  suitable  music." 

After  Bergmann's  resignation,  the  Society  went  to 
pieces,  owing  to  internal  dissensions,  but  was  recon- 
structed in  1856  with  Professor  C.  W.  Webster  as  con- 
ductor. Webster  had  some  reputation  as  a  teacher,  but 
was  evidently  not  the  man  for  conductor,  as  he  was 
speedily  shelved,  and  this  was  the  end  of  Philharmonic 


260  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

societies  until  1860.  In  the  latter  part  of  1856  Henry 
Ahner  organized  an  orchestra  by  combining  the  best 
players  of  the  Light  Guard  and  Great  Western  bands, 
with  some  of  the  ex-Philharmonic  musicians,  and  gave 
Saturday  afternoon  concerts  with  the  assistance  of 
Henry  Perabeau,  the  pianist,  Madame  Johannsen,  the 
German  opera  prima  donna,  De  Passio,  the  barytone,  and 
other  soloists.  Ahner  was  an  interesting  and  most 
engaging  personality.  He  had  been  trumpet-player  in 
the  old  Germania  Society  which  disbanded  in  New  York, 
as  I  have  already  told,  whose  members  scattered  in 
all  directions  and  did  good  work  for  music  in  various 
cities.  Ahner  went  first  to  Providence,  but  not  suc- 
ceeding there,  came  to  Chicago.  He  had  an  orchestra 
of  twenty-six  pieces,  and  modelled  his  concerts  after 
those  of  the  Germania  Society.  The  programmes  were 
popular,  and  so  were  the  concerts  for  a  time.  He  gave 
one  series  in  1856,  beginning  November  29,  four  series 
in  1857,  and  five  of  the  sixth  series  in  1857-1858. 
That  Chicago  was  not  yet  ready  for  orchestral  concerts 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  each  series  after  the  first 
drew  smaller  and  smaller  audiences.  As  Ahner  had 
no  financial  backing  and  was  a  poor  business  man, 
he  became  discouraged,  and  withdrew  from  the  field 
after  the  last  concert,  January  6,  1858.  He  had  some 
money  when  he  came  to  Chicago,  but  lost  it  all.  His 
appeals  for  help  were  not  recognized,  but  he  labored 
on  manfully  and  courageously.  He  was  a  man  of  ex- 
quisite refinement  and  most  tender  sensibilities,  and 
being  also  of  delicate  physique,  the  strain  was  too  much 
for  him.     I  have  a  letter  from  him  among  my  musical 


HENRY  AHNER'S  MELANCHOLY  FATE       261 

souvenirs,  written  to  me  two  days  before  his  last  concert, 
in  which  he  desires  me  to  print  the  programme  and 
ask  people  to  come  to  the  concert,  adding  at  the  close : 
"  I  feel  that  I  shall  not  trouble  you  again."  The 
concert  was  given  to  a  handful  of  people,  and  within 
two  weeks  afterwards  he  died  penniless,  broken-hearted, 
and  almost  alone.  Two  or  three  of  us  paid  his  funeral 
expenses,  and  accompanied  his  body  to  the  cemetery 
one  bitterly  cold  January  afternoon  in  a  blinding  snow- 
storm, and  left  him  to  his  rest. 

Never  was  there  a  musician  of  more  honest  purpose, 
a  gentleman  of  finer  quality,  than  Henry  Ahner.  Never 
did  a  musician  work  harder,  and  never  was  a  musician 
more  ungratefully  treated  or  meagrely  compensated. 
His  career  in  Chicago  resembled  a  tragedy.  Julius 
Unger  followed  Ahner.  He,  too,  I  believe,  was  an  ex- 
Germanian.  He  was  of  coarser  make-up,  of  better 
business  ability,  but  not  so  good  a  musician  as  Ahner. 
He  was  aggressive,  blustering,  indifferent  to  praise 
or  censure,  and  reckless  in  his  methods.  He  began  a 
series  of  afternoon  concerts  in  February,  1858,  with 
virtually  the  same  orchestra  as  that  which  Ahner  em- 
ployed. Possibly  he  might  have  forced  the  people  of 
Chicago  to  attend  them,  for  they  rather  liked  his  bom- 
bastic manner  and  hustling  ways,  had  not  a  competitor 
suddenly  appeared  upon  the  scene.  One  J.  M.  Mozart 
and  his  wife,  who  was  an  excellent  singer,  organized  a 
scratch  orchestra  and  gave  opposition  concerts  on  the 
same  afternoons.  Mrs.  Mozart  was  very  popular,  and  as 
Mr.  Mozart  kept  in  the  background,  Mrs.  Mozart  not 
only  won  out,  but  fairly  drove  Unger  out  of  the  city, 


262  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

leaving  a  long  train  of  creditors  to  mourn  his  departure. 
It  was  a  disastrous  victory,  however,  as  it  cost  the 
Mozarts  all  they  had  and  at  last  forced  them  in  time 
to  retire  also.  For  two  years  Chicago  was  without  an 
orchestra. 

Ten  years  elapsed  after  Julius  Dyhrenfurth  made 
his  initial  venture  with  his  German  compatriots,  and 
in  that  period  the  evolution  of  the  orchestra  had  been 
slow,  uncertain,  and  discouraging.  Two  or  three  Phil- 
harmonic societies  had  disappeared  and  eight  conductors 
dropped  their  batons,  but  in  1860  a  new  conductor 
appears  upon  the  scene  at  the  head  of  an  entirely  new 
Philharmonic  Society.  In  1857  Hans  Balatka  came  here 
from  Milwaukee  to  conduct  the  annual  Northwestern 
Sangerfest,  and  made  a  very  favorable  impression. 
In  1860  he  came  here  to  live,  and  his  conspicuous 
ability  as  leader  at  the  dedication  of  Bryan  Hall,  Sep- 
tember 17  of  that  year,  still  further  commended  him 
to  Chicago  musicians,  and  especially  to  the  trustees 
of  the  new  Philharmonic  Society  as  the  proper  person 
to  direct  the  orchestra.  These  trustees  were  E.  I.  Tink- 
ham,  banker;  U.  H.  Crosby,  of  opera-house  fame; 
Samuel  Johnson,  real  estate  dealer ;  Edward  Stickney, 
banker;  J.  V.  Lemoyne,  attorney;  and  John  Shortall, 
abstract  maker,  for  many  years  afterwards  president 
of  the  Humane  Society.  The  Society  was  complete, 
all  save  its  conductor.  As  Balatka  had  been  tried 
and  had  demonstrated  his  ability,  they  unanimously 
tendered  him  the  leadership.  He  accepted  it,  and 
Bryan  Hall  was  selected  for  the  concerts.  The  new 
scheme  met  with  popular  favor  at  once.     Subscriptions 


Hans  Balatka 


HANS  BALATKA  263 

were  generous,  the  orchestra  was  an  excellent  one, 
and  the  hall  was  remarkably  well  adapted  for  concerts 
of  this  kind.  The  first  concert  was  given  November 
19,  to  a  crowded  house.  It  was  evident  that  an  or- 
chestra was  no  longer  an  experiment  in  Chicago,  and 
from  that  time  to  this  not  a  year  has  passed  without 
orchestral  concerts.  I  append  the  programme  for  the 
opening  night. 

1.  Symphony  in  D  major,  No.  2,  op.  36        Beethoven 

2.  Quintet  and  chorus  from  "  Martha " Flotow 

3.  Overture  to  "The  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor" Nicolai 

4.  Sextet  from  "Lucia"       Donizetti 

5.  Solo  for  violin       De  Beriot 

Emil  Weinberg 

6.  Chorus  from  "Tannhauser"       Wagner 

Chicago  had  heard  Beethoven's  Second  Symphony 
before,  when  the  Germania  Society  played  it,  but  it 
listened  to  Wagner's  music  for  the  first  time  that  even- 
ing. It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  conductor  avoided 
interruptions  by  adopting  the  exact  antithesis  of  the 
plan  now  in  use.  In  the  concerts  of  the  Theodore 
Thomas  orchestra  the  doors  are  closed  when  the  con- 
ductor takes  his  place  at  the  desk,  until  the  conclusion 
of  the  opening  number.  In  those  days  there  was  a  short 
intermission  previous  to  the  performance  of  the  closing 
number,  so  that  those  who  did  not  wish  to  hear  it  could 
leave.  The  opening  concert  was  a  decided  success,  and 
before  the  close  of  the  first  season  the  concerts  were  all 
the  rage.  People  were  turned  away  every  night. 
Balatka  was  the  musical  hero  of  the  city.  The  trus- 
tees were  overcome  with  delight.  Not  a  cloud  was 
visible  in  the  musical  sky.     They  cherished  hopes  of 


264  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

competing  with  New  York  and  Boston,  and  Chicago 
began  to  plume  itself  as  a  musical  centre.  The  Society 
lived  for  eight  years,  and  in  that  time  gave  fifty  regular 
concerts,  besides  extra  mati?iees,  which  were  largely 
attended,  and  at  which  popular  music  was  performed. 
In  1863-1864  Balatka  also  gave  "  Classical  Chamber 
Concerts,"  in  which  Dr.  Fessel,  his  father-in-law,  played 
first  violin ;  Miiller,  second ;  Nurnberger,  viola ;  Balatka, 
'cello;  and  Mrs.  Kloss,  piano.  These,  however,  were 
not  the  first  chamber  concerts  in  Chicago.  That  credit 
belongs  to  the  two  series  known  as  the  "  Briggs  House 
Concerts,"  given  in  1860-1861  by  Henri  de  Clerque,  first 
violin ;  Buderbach,  second  violin ;  Melms,  'cello ;  and 
Paul  Becker,  piano.  To  these  four  musicians,  and 
excellent  ones  they  were,  Chicago  owes  its  first  ac- 
quaintance with  the  classical  composers,  as  well  as  with 
Brahms,  Schumann,  Mendelssohn,  Onslow,  Liszt,  and 
others  of  the  modern  school.  They  were  contemporary 
with  the  Mason-Thomas  combination  in  New  York,  and 
their  service  for  the  higher  music  was  not  less  patient, 
ambitious,  and  intelligent;  but  they  were  ahead  of 
their  time.  Indeed  the  time  has  not  arrived  even  yet. 
No  local  string  quartette  has  been  successful  in  Chicago. 
Even  the  Kneisel  Quartette  has  had  to  work  hard  to 
secure  a  limited  constituency.  Chamber  music  is  not 
popular  —  perhaps  because  it  is  the  best  and  highest 
form  of  music. 

To  return  to  the  Philharmonic  Society.  For  six 
years  it  was  highly  successful,  and  it  gradually  became 
a  fashionable  event.  This  was  a  misfortune,  for  fashion 
is  fickle.     In  the  sixth  year  the  attendance  began  to 


THE  PHILHARMONIC  FUNERAL  265 

fall  off  and  interest  waned.  In  the  seventh  year  the 
decadence  was  still  more  apparent.  A  desperate  effort 
was  made  to  restore  the  Society  to  its  old  position,  and 
no  one  worked  harder  than  Balatka  himself.  I  was 
in  the  thick  of  it  and  know  who  did  the  hard  work. 
But  it  was  too  late.  The  Society  was  moribund.  The 
eighth  season  was  a  failure  in  point  of  pecuniary  results, 
and  the  surplus  of  former  seasons  was  exhausted.  The 
trustees  gravely  and  sorrowfully  canvassed  the  condition 
of  affairs,  acknowledged  they  could  see  no  way  of  re- 
plenishing their  empty  treasury,  and  rather  than  pile 
up  a  debt,  decided  to  stop.  The  Society  expired  in 
April,  and  was  tenderly  deposited  with  the  other  Phil- 
harmonic mummies.  Its  assets  were  just  sufficient  to 
pay  for  a  symposium  of  funeral  baked  meats  which  the 
trustees,  Balatka,  and  the  present  writer  consumed.  A 
few  touching  tributes  to  the  memory  of  the  deceased 
were  spoken,  and  then  all  departed  with  pleasant  mem- 
ories of  the  old  friend  and  regrets  that  they  should  not 
see  it  again. 

Looking  back  over  its  records,  it  must  be  acknowl- 
edged that  the  Society  did  a  most  important  work  for 
music  in  Chicago,  and  too  much  credit  cannot  be  given 
to  Hans  Balatka  for  his  part  in  it.  He  was  the  first  to 
lead  the  cause  of  the  higher  music  here.  He  introduced 
all  the  Beethoven  symphonies,  except  the  Ninth ;  the  E 
flat  major  and  G  minor  of  Mozart ;  the  C  minor  and  F 
major  of  Gade ;  the  "  Scotch  "  of  Mendelssohn,  and  the 
"  Triumphal "  of  Ulrich,  besides  a  great  number  of 
minor  pieces  which  are  now  standard  in  orchestral  pro- 
grammes.    He  also  presented  a  long  array  of  soloists, 


266  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

among  them  the  concert  singers,  Inez  Fabbri,  Emma 
Gillingham  Bostwick,  Hattie  Brown  Miller,  Frederika 
Magnussen,  Marie  de  Rohde,  Emilia  Paige,  Mureo  Celli, 
Freda  de  Gebele,  Pauline  Castri,  Estelle  Soames,  Annie 
Main,  Miss  Dewey,  Miss  Selles,  Julia  Ellsworth,  Cassie 
Matteson,  Charles  R.  Adams,  Louis  Dochez  (de  Passio), 
M.  Ledogard,  William  Ludden,  William  Castle,  Lotti,  S. 
C.  Campbell,  and  Alexander  Bischoff;  the  violinists, 
Emil  Weinberg,  Henry  de  Clerque,  William  Lewis, 
William  Buderbach,  F.  M.  Sofge,  and  Camilla  Urso; 
the  pianists,  Robert  Heller,  James  M.  Wehli,  Irma  de 
Pelgrom,  Richard  Mulder,  Franz  Staab,  Paul  Becker, 
Adolf  Baumbach,  and  Mrs.  Kloss;  and  the  'cellists, 
Melms,  Haig,  and  Henri  Mollenhauer. 

Balatka  soon  emerged  from  the  ruins  of  the  Philhar- 
monic Society,  and  in  June,  1868,  conducted  at  the  six- 
teenth festival  of  the  German  Sangerbund  of  North 
America.  Elated  by  his  success,  he  reorganized  the 
Philharmonic  orchestra  and  gave  a  series  of  concerts  in 
Farwell  Hall  in  which  he  introduced  Mendelssohn's 
"  Italian  "  Symphony  and  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  " 
music  entire,  Beethoven's  Fifth  Symphony,  Haydn's 
E  Flat  Major  Symphony,  and  Schubert's  C  Major  Sym- 
phony. Although  the  financial  result  was  far  from  en- 
couraging, he  undertook  a  second  season  in  1869  and 
gave  the  first  concert  November  28.  On  the  next  even- 
ing Theodore  Thomas  gave  his  first  concert  in  Chicago 
in  the  same  hall  with  his  Central  Park  Garden  orchestra. 
The  masterly  leading  of  the  great  conductor,  then  in 
his  prime,  and  the  accuracy,  taste,  quality,  and  finish  of 
that  incomparable  band  of  garden  players,  sounded  the 


ADVENT  OF  THE  THOMAS  ORCHESTRA  267 

death  knell  of  the  hopes  of  Balatka.  His  second  season 
was  incontinently  abandoned.  It  would  have  provoked 
fatal  comparisons  between  the  two  orchestras.  Four 
years  later,  at  a  time  when  Mr.  Thomas's  own  affairs 
were  in  an  uncertain  condition,  Balatka  gave  some 
orchestral  concerts  at  the  music  hall  on  Clark  Street 
opposite  the  Sherman  House,  but  they  were  not  very  suc- 
cessful. In  1881  he  was  conductor  of  the  twenty-second 
festival  of  the  German  Sangerbund  of  North  America. 
The  forces,  which  he  directed  with  marked  ability,  were 
a  large  orchestra  and  mass  chorus,  including  forty- 
six  German  societies  reenforced  by  the  Apollo  Club 
and  Beethoven  Society  of  Chicago.  He  had  also  the 
assistance  of  an  unusual  array  of  solo  artists,  includ- 
ing Madame  Peschka-Leutner,  Emma  Donaldi,  Annie 
Louise  Cary;  William  Candidus  and  Hugo  Lindau, 
tenors ;  and  Myron  W.  Whitney,  Franz  Remmertz,  and 
Jacob  Benzing,  bassos.  His  programmes  contained  many 
important  works,  among  them  Bruch's  "  Odysseus," 
"Frithjof,"  and  "Salamis,"  Mendelssohn's  "Elijah," 
Abt's  "  Briinnen  Wunderbar,"  Titl's "  Consecration  of 
Solomon's  Temple,"  Reissman's  "  Drusus '  Death, "  In- 
troduction and  third  scene  of  "  Lohengrin,"  Liszt's 
"Tasso"  and  "Preludes,"  Schumann's  Second  Sym- 
phony, and  Beethoven's  Ninth  Symphony.  It  was 
Balatka's  triumph,  and  it  consoled  him  for  many  bitter 
disappointments. 

In  1888  the  Chicago  Symphony  Society  was  organized, 
with  Louis  Wahl  as  president  and  Balatka  as  conductor. 
Five  concerts  and  public  rehearsals  were  announced. 
An  orchestra  of  sixty  players  was  organized.     Schu- 


268  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

mann's  B  Flat,  Rubinstein's  "  Ocean,"  Beethoven's 
Sixth,  and  Goldmark's  "  Country  Wedding"  symphonies, 
Liszt's  "Tasso"  and  other  large  works,  besides  vocal 
duets,  trios,  and  quartettes,  were  promised,  and  Lilli 
Lehmann,  Matilda  Marcello,  Madame  Schroder-Hanfs- 
t'angel,  Paul  Kalisch,  and  Alvary  were  engaged.  A  few 
concerts  were  given,  but  the  scheme  was  soon  aban- 
doned, and  this  ended  Balatka's  active  connection  with 
orchestral  work.  The  rest  of  his  days  were  spent  in  the 
drudgery  of  teaching.  I  shall  speak  of  him  again  in 
another  connection. 

On  March  5,  1891,  the  music  lovers  of  Chicago 
were  notified  by  the  Chicago  Orchestral  Association 
"formed  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  a  permanent 
orchestra  of  the  highest  character,  resident  in  Chicago, 
and  giving  orchestral  and  other  musical  performances  of 
the  first  class,"  that  the  first  season  of  concerts  and  re- 
hearsals would  begin  October  16  and  continue  twenty 
weeks,  and  that  the  director,  Theodore  Thomas,  and 
his  orchestra  would  aim  at  "the  highest  results  com- 
parable with  those  attained  by  the  New  York  Phil- 
harmonic Society  and  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra." 
For  fourteen  seasons  Mr.  Thomas  made  good  this  an- 
nouncement. Many  obstacles  were  encountered,  but 
one  after  another  they  were  overcome.  There  were 
many  dark  and  discouraging  days  in  the  history  of  the 
Association,  but  its  members  shared  the  faith  and 
courage  of  the  director  and  worked  steadily  on  in  the 
path  marked  out  by  him.  When  the  appeal  was  made 
to  the  people  that  the  burden  was  too  heavy  to  be 
carried  any  longer  without  help,  they  nobly  responded 


MR.  THOMAS'S  CROWNING   ACHIEVEMENT  269 

by  making  the  orchestra  permanent  and  housing  it  in 
its  own  home.  The  fourteen  seasons  of  this  orchestra 
under  Mr.  Thomas's  direction  must  be  set  down  as  the 
crowning  achievement  of  his  half  century  of  work. 
The  programmes  of  those  years  are  the  best  he  made 
during  that  long  period.  He  was  able  to  make  them 
upon  a  high  standard  because  for  the  first  time  he  had 
players  whose  salaries  were  guaranteed,  and  hence  he  had 
little  difficulty  in  procuring  first-rank  men  and  was  not 
harassed  by  personal  financial  responsibilities.  He  had 
also  for  the  first  time  a  regular  audience  which  unques- 
tioningly  accepted  programmes  of  the  higher  music.  He 
left  behind  him  a  standard  of  music  and  musical  per- 
formance which  will  make  Chicago  orchestra  audiences 
unwilling  to  accept  anything  lower.  He  left  to  Chicago 
one  of  the  three  or  four  great  orchestras  of  the  world, 
now  ably  led  by  Frederick  A.  Stock,  promoted  from  the 
ranks.  This  is  the  full  flowering  of  the  little  seed 
which  Julius  Dyhrenfurth  planted  fifty-eight  years 
ago. 


CHAPTER  XX 
MUSICAL  SOCIETIES 

THE  EARLY  SOCIETIES  —  THE  MUSICAL  UNION  AND  "THE  HAT- 
MAKERS"  —  THE  MENDELSSOHN  SOCIETY  —  THE  GERMANIA 
MANNERCHOR  —  INTERNAL  DISSENSIONS  —  RIVAL  OPERATIC 
AMATEUR  PERFORMANCES  —  THE  GERMANIA  GEMUTLICH- 
KEIT  —  DYHRENFURTH'S  PUNCHES  —  DIETZSCH  AND  HIS 
CORONER'S   REPORTS  —  THE   CONCORDIA  AND   LIEDERKRANZ 

THE   ORATORIO   SOCIETY  —  A  VICTIM   OF   FIRE  —  WINTER 

POST-FIRE  ENTERTAINMENTS  —  ORIGIN  OF  THE  APOLLO 
CLUB  —  A  REMARKABLE  CAREER  —  CARL  WOLFSOHN  AND 
THE   BEETHOVEN   SOCIETY 

THE  very  early  history  of  musical  societies  in 
Chicago  is  misty  at  best.  Little  is  known  about 
them,  for  apparently  no  records  were  kept.  If  they 
were,  the  omnivorous  fire  of  1871  must  have  destroyed 
them.  We  simply  know  that  there  were  the  Old  Settlers' 
Harmonic  Society  in  1835 ;  the  Chicago  Sacred  Music 
Society,  C.  A.  Collier  conductor,  in  1842 ;  the  Choral 
Union,  J.  Johnson  conductor,  in  1846 ;  the  Mozart 
Society,  conductor  unknown,  in  1849 ;  and  the  Miinner- 
gesangverein,  Charles  Sonne,  president,  and  Emil  Rein, 
conductor,  in  1852.  Musical  societies  have  nearly 
always  been  arenas  for  internal  strife.  Perhaps  it  is 
a  sign  of  enthusiasm  or  restless  activity.  In  any  event, 
dissensions  broke  out  in  the  ranks  of  the  Manner- 
gesangverein  in  1855  and  eventually  led  to  a  secession 
of  the  discontented.     The  Society  died  in  1859,  and 


THE  MUSICAL  UNION  271 

meanwhile  the  seceders  organized  the  Freie  Sangerbund 
and  elected  Henry  Aimer  conductor.  Nothing  pros- 
pered with  which  poor  Aimer  was  connected,  and  so  the 
career  of  the  Freie  Sangerbund  was  brief. 

The  year  1857  witnessed  the  organization  of  the 
Chicago  Musical  Union,  and  of  this  society  I  can  speak 
from  personal  experience.  The  following  officers  were 
elected :  President,  J.  S.  Piatt ;  Vice  President,  J.  G. 
Lumbard ;  Librarian,  A.  L.  Coe ;  Secretary  and  Treasurer, 
D.  A.  Kimbark;  conductor,  C.  M.  Cady.  Cady  was 
afterwards  a  partner  in  the  music  firm  of  Root  and 
Cady,  successors  to  H.  M.  Higgins,  who  became  so  en- 
grossed with  table  tipping  and  spooks  that  his  business 
was  soon  at  loose  ends.  I  met  him  many  years  after- 
wards at  his  ranch  in  Southern  California  where  he  was 
experimenting  with  seedless  lemons.  The  best  singers 
in  Chicago  were  members  of  the  Musical  Union,  and 
there  were  no  dissensions  in  the  ranks.  They  were  a 
very  happy  family,  and  their  principal  objects  were  pub- 
lic entertainment,  personal  enjoyment,  and  social  hilarity. 
They  succeeded  in  all  of  them.  The  first  concert  was 
given  April  7,  1857,  with  a  miscellaneous  programme, 
the  soloists  being  Mrs.  C.  Blakely  and  Kate  Jones, 
sopranos ;  Fannie  L.  Collins  and  Mary  Jones,  altos ; 
A.  B.  Tobey  and  A.  Leonard,  tenors;  J.  L.  Thompson 
and  J.  G.  Lumbard,  bassos;  Franz  and  Louis  Staab, 
pianists;  and  Henry  Aimer,  cornetist.  The  Society 
lasted  eight  happy  years ;  it  disbanded  because  other 
societies  offered  dangerous  competition,  and  also  because 
of  the  pressure  of  business  interests  which  claimed  the 


272  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

time  of  members.  In  1857  it  gave  "The  Creation/' 
and  in  1860  Ries's  cantata,  "  The  Morning,"  and 
"Elijah."  On  the  seventeenth  of  November  of  that 
year  there  was  a  notable  performance  of  George  F. 
Root's  pleasant  little  cantata,  "  The  Haymakers," 
which  was  thus  announced  in  the  programme: 

METROPOLITAN   HALL. 

Friday  Evening,  Nov.  17,  1860. 

The  Operatic  Cantata  of  the 

HAYMAKERS. 

In  costume,  with  appropriate  scenery,  action,  farming  implements,  &c. 

By  a  company  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  from  the 

Chicago  Musical  Union. 

Under  the  direction  of 

Mr.  George  F.  Root. 

Farmer Mr.  Jules  G.  Lumbard 

Anna,  Farmer's  daughter Mrs.  Mattison 

Mary,        "  ".  Mrs.  Thomas 

Katy,  dairy  maid Mrs.  Philleo 

William,  foreman Mr.  Charles  C.  Phillips 

John,  assistant  foreman      Mr.  M.  F.  Price 

Snipkins,  a  city  youth,  unused  to  rural  affairs  .  .  .  Mr.  E.  T.  Root 
Semi-Chorus  of  Mowers,  Semi-Chorus  of  Spreaders,  Semi-Chorus  of  Rakers. 

FULL  CHORUS  OF   HAYMAKERS. 

Scenery  painted  expressly  for  the  Haymakers  by 

Mr.  J.  J.  Whytal. 

Doors  open  at  6£.     Performance  to  commence  at  1\. 

Tickets,  50  cents. 

To  be  had  of  Root  &  Cady,  No.  95  Clark  Street;  S.  C.  Griggs  &  Co.'s 
book  store,  No.  39  and  41  Lake  Street;  and  at  H.  M.  Higgins'  music  store, 
Randolph  Street. 

Tribune  Print,  51  Clark  Street. 

The  composer  and  nearly  all  the  merry  haymakers  of 
1860  have  fallen  victims  to  the  inevitable  scythe  of 
"  pallida  mors."  "  Old  Farmer "  Lumbard,  however, 
still  remains  to  remind  us  of  the  days  of  Cassie  Matteson 
and  Charley  Seaverus,  Fanny  Root  and  Charley  Phillips, 
Ella  White  and  John  Hubbard,  Annie  Main  and  Harry 


"THE  HAYMAKERS"  273 

Johnson,  Julia  Ellsworth  and  John  A.  Jewett,  and  a 
score  more  of  young  girls  and  fellows  who  were  good 
singers  and  who  sang  because  they  loved  to  in  the  days 
that  are  no  more,  and  who  are  now  either  in  the  gray 
autumn  of  life  or  have  passed  over  the  river.  The 
officers  of  the  Society  in  1860  were  Dr.  Levi  D.  Boone, 
president,  Chicago's  first  and  only  Know-nothing 
Mayor;  B.  F.  Downing,  a  real  estate  operator,  vice- 
president  ;  R.  M.  Clark,  librarian ;  T.  H.  Wade,  pianist,  a 
delicate  little  fellow,  full  of  music  to  his  very  finger-tips, 
who  died  of  consumption  not  long  after  this  time ;  and 
A.  L.  Coe,  conductor.  All  these  also  are  gone  save 
Clark,  and  Clark  is  immortal.  He  still  carries  his  tuning 
instruments  and  walks  the  streets  of  Chicago,  as  indiffer- 
ent to  their  roar  and  as  careless  of  current  comment  as 
he  did  fifty  years  ago.  Clark  is  a  bit  of  old  Chicago 
set  down  in  the  bustling,  crowded,  dirty  new  Chicago, 
sternly  declining  to  recognize  any  of  its  demands  or  ex- 
pectations. What  cares  a  man  for  the  Chicago  of  1908 
who  tuned  for  Adelina  Patti  more  than  fifty  years  ago, 
and  who  has  tuned  for  nearly  every  great  artist  who 
has  been  here  during  that  period  ?  Clark  is  of  the  vin- 
tage of  the  fifties  and  has  mellowed  with  age.  In  1863 
Balatka  succeeded  to  the  conductorship  of  the  Musical 
Union,  and  brought  out  much  excellent  music  with  such 
soloists  as  Annie  Main,  Lizzie  Fitch,  Cassie  Matteson, 
Julia  Ellsworth,  A.  R.  Sabin,  and  Jules  Lumbard,  vocal- 
ists; William  Lewis,  violinist;  and  Sarah  Tillinghast 
and  Nellie  Conkey,  pianists.  The  Society's  crowning  tri- 
umph was  its  performance  in  April,  1864,  of  Lortzing's 
"  Czar  and  Carpenter  "  in  English.     The  arrangement 

18 


274  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

was  made  by  Balatka,  and  it  was  given  to  large  au- 
diences for  five  nights,  with  the  following  cast :  Peter 
the  Great,  William  0.  Faulhaber ;  Peter  Ivanoff,  E.  T. 
Root ;  Van  Bett,  J.  G.  Lumbard ;  Maria,  Annie  Main ; 
Mrs.  Brown,  Mrs.  C.  B.  White ;  Admiral  Lefont,  J. 
H.  Brown ;  Lord  Syndham,  G.  C.  Pearson ;  Major  de 
Chateauneuf,  Edward  Schultze.  During  the  following 
year  the  Society  sang  Mendelssohn's  "  Ninety-Fifth 
Psalm "  and  Rossini's  "  Stabat  Mater,"  and  then  dis- 
banded. During  the  latter  part  of  its  career  the  Society 
probably  escaped  a  terrible  disaster.  The  members  had 
planned  an  excursion  to  Milwaukee  and  tried  to  secure 
the  steamer  Lady  Elgin  for  a  certain  date.  As  the 
steamer  had  already  been  engaged  for  that  date,  the 
excursion  was  deferred  to  a  more  convenient  opportunity. 
The  fate  of  the  Lady  Elgin  on  that  trip  is  well  known. 
Off  Winnetka  it  collided  with  a  schooner  and  sank,  and 
hundreds  of  lives  were  lost. 

One  of  the  causes  of  the  disbandment  of  the  Musical 
Union  was  the  organization  of  the  Mendelssohn  Society 
in  1858,  which  took  away  many  of  its  members.  Harry 
Johnson,  a  favorite  bass  singer,  was  president  of  the 
Mendelssohn,  and  Adolph  W.  Dohn  its  conductor.  Mr. 
Dohn  was  engaged  in  active  business,  but  devoted  all 
his  leisure  time  to  music.  He  was  one  of  the  best 
equipped  musicians  Chicago  has  ever  had,  —  a  man  of 
strong  intellectual  grasp,  a  leader  of  great  executive 
ability,  and  a  musical  scholar  of  more  than  ordinary 
attainments,  as  was  shown  afterwards  in  his  leadership 
of  the  Apollo  Club  and  in  the  important  services  he 
rendered  to  Theodore  Thomas  in  his  orchestral  work. 


Adolph   \V.    Dohn 


THE  MENDELSSOHN   SOCIETY  275 

Mr.  Dohn  did  not  believe  in  giving  concerts  until  his 
society  was  ready.  He  kept  the  members  at  rehearsals 
for  more  than  a  year,  giving  a  recital  now  and  then  for 
personal  friends,  so  that  they  might  become  gradually 
accustomed  to  singing  in  public.  In  1865  the  Society 
gave  an  important  concert  at  the  Sherman  House,  at 
which  Mendelssohn's  "  First  Walpurgis  Night,"  "  May 
Song,"  "  Nightingale,"  "  Shepherds'  Song,"  the  chorus 
"  Lord,  Thou  alone,"  from  his  "  St.  Paul,"  and  Kuhlau's 
"  Wanderer's  Night  Song,"  were  sung.  Mr.  Bichel,  the 
violinist,  played  a  solo,  and  Becker,  Bichel,  and  Balatka, 
the  trio  of  Beethoven's  in  G,  op.  1,  no.  2.  The  Society 
created  such  an  impression  in  this  concert  that  it  was 
engaged  to  dedicate  Kingsbury  Hall,  April  13,  1862. 
Upon  this  occasion  it  produced  Titl's  cantata,  "  Conse- 
cration of  the  Temple,"  Harry  Johnson  taking  the  bass 
solos,  and  Sterndale  Bennett's  charming  pastoral  cantata 
"  The  May  Queen,"  the  solo  parts  of  which  were  distrib- 
uted as  follows  :  May  Queen,  Miss  Sheridan ;  Queen, 
Miss  Ghent ;  Lover,  Mr.  Jones ;  Robin  Hood,  Mr.  de 
Passio.  I  have  often  wondered  why  this  cantata  has 
not  been  heard  again,  indeed  why  Bennett's  delightful 
music  has  been  entirely  neglected.  The  Society  sang 
for  the  last  time  at  the  Lincoln  funeral  services  in  1865, 
which  were  held  in  St.  Paul's  Church. 

I  come  now  to  a  most  interesting  period  in  the 
history  of  Chicago's  musical  societies.  The  year  1865, 
in  which  both  the  Musical  Union  and  Mendelssohn 
Society  disbanded,  witnessed  the  organization  of  the  Ger- 
mania  Mjinnerchor,   with  John  G.  Gindele,  president, 


276  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

and  Otto  Lob,  conductor.  The  Germania  started  upon 
its  career  with  flying  colors  and  sounding  trumpets, 
but  before  the  year  closed  there  was  the  inevitable  dis- 
sension, and  Balatka,  in  spite  of  his  musical  devotion 
and  good  fellowship,  as  usual  was  at  the  bottom  of  it ; 
for  it  must  be  admitted  that  Hans  was  a  past  master  in 
intrigue.  He  was  proposed  for  membership,  and  at  once 
the  Germania  divided  into  two  hostile  camps,  —  the 
adherents  of  Balatka  and  the  adherents  of  Lob.  There 
was  many  a  hot  time  at  the  meetings,  and  Frau  Musica 
at  last  gathered  up  her  skirts  and  fled.  The  old  hearty 
Austrinkens  gave  place  to  perfunctory  Prosits.  Steins 
no  longer  smote  the  table  of  a  united  brotherhood,  and 
the  salamanders  lost  in  sonority.  The  strife  at  last 
waxed  so  fierce  that  the  Lob  faction  seceded  in  1866 
and  organized  a  new  Mannerchor,  the  Concordia,  whose 
name  was  significant  of  the  peace  and  harmony  to  pre- 
vail in  the  new  society.  Charles  Kauffeld,  the  banker, 
was  elected  its  president,  and  Lob  conductor.  In  the 
meantime  the  Germania  reorganized  and  elected  Balatka 
conductor.  The  rivalry  between  the  two  societies  was 
eager  but  healthful,  for  it  gave  Chicago  the  best 
amateur  performances  of  opera  it  has  ever  had,  and 
better  indeed  than  many  of  the  representations  by  pro- 
fesssional  troupes.  On  the  eighth  and  eleventh  of 
February,  1870,  the  Germania  produced  "  Der  Frey- 
schiitz"  with  the  following  cast:  Agathe,  Mrs.  Clara 
Huck;  Annina,  Flora  Kuntz;  Caspar,  Koch;  Max, 
Schultze ;  Zamiel,  Janisch ;  Kilian,  Meyer ;  Otticar, 
Mueller;  Cuno,  Thiem;  Hermit,  Goodwillie.  The 
Concordia  promptly  met  its  rival  in  April  with  "  The 


RIVAL   OPERATIC  AMATEUR  PERFORMANCES         277 

Magic  Flute,"  cast  as  follows :  Pamina,  Mrs.  Clara 
Huck ;  Queen  of  Night,  Mrs.  Lang-Ziegler ;  Tamino, 
Bischofr';  Sarastro,  Hoffman;  and  Papageno,  Foltz. 
The  Germania  retorted  in  May  with  "  Stradella "  and 
the  following  cast :  Leonora,  Flora  Kuntze ;  Stradella, 
Schultze ;  Bassi,  Saveri ;  Malvolio,  Koch ;  Barberini, 
Hunneman.  The  version  used  was  prepared  by  Dudley 
Buck.  "  Stradella  "  was  beautifully  mounted,  and  its 
performance  was  so  brilliant  that  the  Concordia  gave 
up  the  contest.  Mrs.  Huck,  mother  of  Mrs.  Marshal 
Field,  Jr.,  was  the  bright  particular  star  in  the  first  two 
performances.  She  was  a  beautiful  woman,  a  fine 
actress,  and  a  well-trained  singer.  She  was  also  a 
great  favorite  both  in  American  and  German  society. 
There  have  been  few  performances  of  opera  in  Chicago 
more  satisfactory  than  these,  for  the  solo  work  was  well 
done,  and  both  chorus  and  orchestra  were  incomparably 
better  than  those  brought  by  impresarios.  Have  we 
lost  all  our  singers  that  such  representations  cannot  be 
repeated,  or  has  Chicago  become  so  big  and  so  deeply 
engrossed  in  material  matters  that  it  has  no  time  to 
give  to  their  consideration  ?  Of  the  principal  perform- 
ers in  these  operas  at  least  two  remain  to  tell  us  of  the 
glories  of  those  days.  "  Kilian  "  Meyer,  still  in  com- 
mercial business,  and  "  Papageno  "  Foltz,  the  architect, 
occasionally  revive  the  old  memories  by  singing  for 
their  friends.  In  1867  the  Germania  also  gave  a  series  of 
pleasant  summer  night  festivals  at  the  Rink  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Jackson  Boulevard  and  Wabash  Avenue.  In  the 
course  of  time  Balatka  encountered  more  troubles,  and 
finding  that  the  spirit  of  discontent  was  dangerously 


278  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

increasing,  he  resigned,  and  accepted  the  leadership 
of  the  Liederkranz  Society.  Julius  Fuchs,  I  think, 
was  his  successor.  He  was  a  connoisseur  not  only  in 
music,  but  in  all  the  arts,  and  a  scholar  of  ponderous 
learning  and  painstaking  industry,  whose  catalogues  and 
bibliographs  attest  to  the  extent  of  his  cumbersome 
knowledge  and  his  patient  researches  after  information 
for  which  few  cared  but  which  the  old  man  greatly 
prized.  The  subsequent  career  of  the  Germania  is  so 
well  known  that  I  need  not  follow  it  further. 

The  social  festivities  of  the  Germania  at  Dyhrenfurth 
Hall  on  Randolph  Street  were  Olympian  in  character. 
Emil  Dietzsch  and  "Prince  Carnival,"  Martin  Meyer, 
were  conspicuous  figures  on  these  occasions.  There  was 
no  more  suggestion  of  merriment  in  Dyhrenfurth' s  face 
than  you  may  find  in  the  stony,  immutable  face  of  the 
Sphinx.  He  was  stately  in  person  and  dignified  in 
speech,  and  was  regarded  by  his  associates  in  their  orgies 
with  a  sort  of  reverential  deference.  Liberties  were  not 
taken  with  him.  Even  the  privileged  jesters  refrained 
from  making  him  the  target  of  their  ridicule.  But 
underneath  this  apparently  austere  exterior  he  had  a 
quiet  fund  of  humor,  and  now  and  then  there  was  just 
the  suspicion  of  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes,  suggestive  of  a 
merry  stir  in  his  "inneres."  It  was  a  joyous  spectacle 
on  occasions  when  the  purpose  of  the  hour  was  too  im- 
portant for  beer,  to  see  him  brew  the  series  of  punches 
which  were  named  for  the  dignitaries  of  the  Church  — 
the  bishop,  archbishop,  cardinal,  and  pope.  No  disre- 
spect for  the  Church  was  intended  by  this  nomenclature. 
The  titles  were  simply  meant  to  indicate  the  increased 


DYHRENFURTH'S  PUNCHES  279 

degree  of  excellence  in  each.  How  carefully  and  ten- 
derly, even  solemnly,  he  would  mix  the  ingredients,  and 
how  lovingly  he  regarded  each  finished  product  as  he 
ascended  the  scale !  And  when  the  pope  was  finished 
and  the  bowl  was  garnished,  what  a  radiant  smile  would 
illuminate  those  heavy  features  as  he  stood  there,  ladle 
in  hand,  the  very  ideal  of  Gemuthlichkeit !  He  was  an 
artist  at  that  work,  and  he  knew  it.  But  how  few  could 
achieve  that  dizzy  climb  and  reach  the  summit  un- 
scathed !  The  artist  could,  therefore  he  was  master  of 
the  feast  and  beloved  by  all.  Martin  Meyer  was  "  a 
fellow  of  infinite  jest,  of  most  excellent  fancy,"  as  brisk 
as  a  bumble  bee,  and  sometimes  could  sting  like  one 
with  his  apparently  innocent  quips.  But  Emil  Dietzsch 
was  the  soul  of  every  occasion.  Everybody  loved  him 
because  he  loved  everybody.  He  was  the  Admirable 
Crichton  of  the  Germania,  and  later  of  the  Liederkranz. 
He  was  a  good  singer,  a  capital  burlesque  comedian,  a 
pleasant  writer,  a  natural  humorist,  a  genial  restaura- 
teur, the  best  and  most  popular  coroner  Cook  County 
has  ever  had,  and  a  scholar  in  the  classics  and  the 
moderns.  He  was  particularly  happy  in  burlesque,  and 
at  one  of  the  Germania's  festivities  he  even  made 
Dyhrenfurth  laugh  with  his  personation  of  Gretchen  in 
"  Faust."  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Dietzsch  was 
a  man  of  massive  build  with  a  deep  bass  voice.  He 
appeared  in  the  conventional  costume  of  Marguerite, 
wearing  a  blond  wig  and  braids  hanging  down  his 
back,  and  aped  the  demureness  and  simplicity  of  the 
maiden  to  the  life,  his  corpulence  and  sonorous  voice 
intensifying  the  comedy  of  the  situation.      During  his 


280  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

versatile  career  he  kept  a  restaurant,  —  I  think  it  was 
on  Wells  Street,  —  and  made  a  specialty  of  certain  dishes, 
especially  game,  which  was  very  plenty  in  those  days. 
As  a  chef  he  would  have  been  a  great  success.  He  was  in- 
tensely patriotic,  and  upon  the  occasion  of  one  of  the  vic- 
tories in  the  Franco-German  War  he  rode  triumphantly 
into  his  restaurant  upon  his  white  horse,  waving  the 
German  flag,  and  lustily  singing  "  Wacht  am  Rhein." 
He  combined  the  romance  of  Blondel,  the  mischief  of 
Till  Eulenspiegel,  and  the  merry  antics  of  Triboulet. 
In  1878  Dietzsch  was  coroner,  and  never  did  Cook 
County  have  a  better,  more  useful,  or  more  entertaining 
one.  Coroners'  reports  are  not  usually  regarded  as  of 
any  consequence,  from  a  literary,  poetic,  or  philosoph- 
ical standpoint,  but  his  three  annual  reports,  published 
under  the  caption,  "  Coroner's  Quest,"  are  models  of 
the  humor,  philosophy,  and  vital  interest  which  may  be 
found  in  statistics.  In  his  apt  hands  they  are  elevated 
to  the  dignity  of  an  art.  The  reports  cover  nearly 
every  branch  of  learning  from  the  days  of  the  ancient 
Greeks  and  Romans  to  the  present,  abound  in  pat  quo- 
tations from  the  classics  as  well  as  from  the  modern 
writers,  and  are  filled  with  poetic  and  romantic  disquisi- 
tions upon  the  tragedies  which  came  under  his  inquisi- 
torial scrutiny.  In  a  luminous  introduction  he  discusses 
the  character  and  scope  of  statistics  and  gives  us  the 
views  of  Quetelet,  Achenwall,  and  other  great  statisti- 
cians. He  traces  the  history  of  the  ancient  coroners, 
the  causes  and  peculiarities  of  suicide,  and  the  views  of 
ancient  and  modern  sociologists  concerning  it.  Ten- 
derly  he  laments  the  fate  of  those  who  have  fallen 


DIETZSCH  AND   HIS  CORONER'S  REPORTS  281 

victims  to  disappointment  in  love  and  the  tragedies  of 
the  pariahs.  He  seeks  to  find  the  reason  why  so  many 
of  his  own  countrymen  commit  suicide,  and  arrives  at 
the  theory  that  "  the  habitual  use  of  beer  seems  to  have 
a  tendency  to  direct  their  psychological  ailments  into 
the  form  of  a  metamorphosis  from  phlegmatic  ease  to 
melancholy,  and,  finally,  suicidal  mania."  He  devotes 
much  space  to  homicides,  and  eloquently  advocates  com- 
pulsory education  and  better  pedagogues  as  a  remedy  for 
acts  of  violence.  He  enlarges  upon  the  study  of  natural 
science  as  a  substitute  for  the  cheap  and  sensational 
literature  which  exposes  the  child's  mind  to  "a  putrid 
psychological  process  of  fermentation,  the  effect  of  which 
can  scarcely  ever  be  eradicated."  He  searches  into  the 
domestic  economy  and  finds  that  "the  ennui  and  dolce 
far  niente,  which  is  so  frequently  felt  by  women  in 
hotels  and  boarding-houses  while  their  husbands  are 
out  at  business,  and  the  many  hours  of  the  day  which 
they  must  spend  in  lonely  rooms  without  children  or 
real  occupation,  are  very  often  the  first  but  significant 
circumstances  to  prompt  suicide."  But  Dietzsch  was  at 
his  best  when  describing  some  individual  case  which 
came  before  him.  I  quote  one  of  many  such,  the  touch- 
ing tale  of  Tshin  Fo,  a  Chinaman  who  loved  an  Irish 
girl,  "  not  wisely  but  too  well,"  and  was  deserted  by  her. 

"Longingly  he  looked  forward  to  his  wedding-day,  when 
he  could  lead  home  the  one  he  preferred  above  all  the 
daughters  of  the  Celestial  Empire,  in  order  to  share  with  her 
the  soft  boiled  rice  and  fat-fried  rat.  Then  suddenly  he 
learned  the  sad  news,  that  she  to  whom  he  had  confidently 
intrusted  his  hard-earned  coins  and  greenbacks  had  left  for 


282  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

parts  unknown,  without  leaving  a  trace  behind  her.  That 
black,  magnificently  braided  pigtail,  those  almond  eyes,  and 
that  broad  Mongolian  nose,  could  not  finally  win  her ;  blush- 
ingly  she  followed  the  footsteps  of  her  red-haired  Pat  from 
Limerick,  and  left  the  outwitted  Celestial  to  his  unutterable 
woe.  For  him  there  was  no  consolation,  and,  with  gloomy 
thoughts  about  his  misfortune,  he  resolved  to  die.  Sajung  a 
last  prayer  to  the  primitive  god,  Taiki  or  Buddha,  he  locked 
himself  in  his  room,  threw  himself  upon  the  untouched  bridal 
couch,  with  his  face  turned  to  the  East,  and  shot  himself  with 
the  usual  bullet  from  a  revolver,  in  the  abdomen,  which,  ac- 
cording to  the  views  of  a  spiritual  Frenchman,  is  the  seat  of 
all  evil,  for  all  evils  come  from  the  stomach,  as  a  result  of  bad 
digestion." 

Then  in  an  outburst  of  reminiscent  pity,  Dietzsch  reflects 
upon  Tshin  Fo's  fate  as  he  looks  upon  his  grave,  which 
he  accidentally  discovered  some  time  afterwards : 

"  After  the  custom  of  his  country,  his  friends  had  placed 
plates  and  vessels  of  all  kinds  around  the  grave,  in  the  belief 
that  the  spirits  of  those  who  leave  this  world  need  some  food 
upon  the  long  journey  into  the  unknown  regions  of  superior 
happiness  or  temporary  condemnation.  Happy  Tshin  Fo,  I 
thought,  who  seems  to  have  understood  the  teaching  of 
Buddha,  thou  didst  kill  thyself  by  thine  own  hands  deliberately 
(honorably,  according  to  the  views  of  thy  people),  in  order  to 
complete  the  sooner  the  circle  of  thy  life,  and  to  enable  thee  to 
enter  the  place  of  thy  destiny  —  the  twenty-sixth  heaven  of 
heavens.  '  Peace  to  thy  ashes.'  But  to  thee,  false  Christian 
girl,  who  broke  his  heart  and  stole  away  into  thy  hiding-place, 
to  thee  I  would  give  the  advice  of  Hamlet  to  Ophelia :  '  Get 
thee  to  a  nunnery,'  Bridget." 

Dietzsch' s  reports,  and  Carter  Harrison's  speech  in 
Congress  upon  the  proposition  to  abolish  the  Marine 
Band,  made  about  the  same  time,  show  that  Chicago  in 


HARRISON'S  SPEECH  ON  THE  MARINE  BAND        283 

the  old  times  had  poets  among  her  officials.  I  should 
like  to  quote  a  paragraph  from  the  Harrison  speech, 
for  it  is  one  of  my  musical  memories : 

"  For  fifteen  long  dreary  years  at  the  other  end  of  Penn- 
sylvania avenue  the  White  House  has  been  occupied  by  a  re- 
publican, and  during  the  winter  months,  of  evenings,  the 
Marine  Band  has  been  up  there  at  receptions  to  discourse 
sweet  music  for  the  delectation  of  a  republican  President,  and 
for  the  delectation  of  his  friends.  At  every  reception  a  re- 
publican President  has  stood  in  a  certain  room  receiving  his 
guests,  and  his  pet  republican  friends,  in  white  vests  and 
white  cravats,  have  stood  behind  him  enjoying  the  dulcet  tones 
poured  forth  from  the  silver  throats  of  silvered  instruments 
by  twenty-four  gentlemen  in  scarlet  coats.  For  long  years, 
of  summer  Saturday  afternoons,  twenty-four  gentlemen  in 
scarlet  coats  have  caused  twenty-four  silvered  instruments,  on 
the  green  in  front  of  the  White  House,  to  belch  forth  martial 
music  for  the  delectation  of  a  republican  President,  and  for 
the  delectation  of  his  republican  friends.  On  the  4th  of  next 
March,  sir,  there  will  be  a  democratic  President  in  the  White 
House.  Sir,  is  the  democratic  President  to  have  no  music  ? 
Delicacy  forbids  me  calling  names.  Sir,  when  the  great  un- 
known gets  here,  shall  we  have  no  music ;  shall  no  tunes  come 
from  those  twenty-four  silver-throated  instruments,  blown  out 
by  these  twenty-four  gentlemen  in  red  coats,  to  welcome  him 
to  the  White  House  ?  Shall  we  have  no  music  when  we  in- 
troduce him  to  the  American  people  ?  Not  by  my  vote.  No, 
sir ;  never !     Never  !  " 

I  wonder  in  what  far-off  regions  Dietzsch  now  wanders, 
comforting  unhappy  shades  or  adding  to  the  joys  of 
cherubim  and  seraphim  with  his  merry  antics,  and 
Harrison  still  enthrals  rapt  audiences  with  his  eloquent 
periods. 


284  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

In  1869  the  Oratorio  Society  was  organized  and  the 
following  officers  were  elected :  President,  George  L. 
Dunlap;  Vice-President,  E.  I.  Tinkham;  Treasurer, 
William  Sprague ;  Conductor,  Hans  Balatka.  Its  first 
concert  was  given  May  8  of  that  year,  upon  which 
occasion  "  The  Creation "  was  sung,  with  Madame 
Parepa-Rosa  and  Mr.  Rudolphsen  in  the  solo  parts. 
The  Society  performed  several  oratorios  during  its  four 
years'  existence,  but  it  was  always  financially  hampered 
because  it  was  not  generously  supported.  Oratorio  is 
not  very  popular  in  Chicago  unless  eminent  artists 
appear.  To  add  to  its  troubles  the  Society  lost  all  its 
property  in  the  great  fire  of  1871.  The  Boston  Handel 
and  Haydn  Society,  however,  made  good  many  of  its 
losses,  and  it  was  soon  on  its  feet  again  with  J.  A. 
Butterfield  as  conductor.  It  gave  "  The  Messiah  "  in 
May,  1872,  and  a  concert  in  the  following  Autumn. 
While  getting  ready  for  another  concert  in  January, 
1873,  it  was  again  visited  by  fire  and  from  this  second 
blow  it  failed  to  recover.  Bad  luck  had  followed  it 
continuously,  and  no  further  effort  was  made  to  keep  it 
alive. 

I  have  already  referred  to  the  dissensions  in  the  ranks 
of  the  Germania  Mannerchor  which  forced  Balatka  to 
resign.  He  promptly  accepted  the  same  position  in  the 
Liederkranz  Society,  of  which  Edmund  Jussen  was  presi- 
dent. During  its  career  the  Liederkranz  devoted  itself 
to  the  performance  of  opera  on  several  occasions.  In 
April,  1874,  it  gave  a  fine  representation  of  "Masan- 
iello,"  with  Helene  Hastreiter,  Miss  Kenkel,  Bischoff, 


POST-FIRE  ENTERTAINMENTS  285 

Schultze,  Koch,  Thiem,  Goodwillie,  and  Meyer  in  the 
principal  roles.  In  March,  1875,  it  produced  the  fourth 
act  of  "  The  Huguenots,"  in  May,  1875,  the  fourth  act 
of  "Ernani,"  and  on  November  8  of  the  same  year 
it  gave  a  remarkable  performance  of  "  The  Merry  Wives 
of  Windsor  "  at  McVicker's  Theatre,  with  the  following 
cast :  Mrs.  Ford,  Anna  Rossetti ;  Mrs.  Page,  Kate 
Wordragen  ;  Anna,  Mrs.  Dony  ;  Fenton,  Schultze ;  Ford, 
Greiner ;  Falstaff,  Koch ;  Page,  Overbeck ;  Slender, 
Wolf;  Caius,  Meyer. 

The  great  fire  of  October,  1871,  as  I  have  already 
said,  temporarily  ended  the  activities  of  music  in  every 
direction,  and  it  was  slow  in  resuming  them.  In  this 
connection  a  condensed  statement  of  the  entertainments 
which  helped  the  people  to  bear  up  against  the  calamity 
during  the  gloomy  winter  following  it  may  not  be  un- 
interesting. The  record  from  October  23,  fifteen  days 
after  the  fire,  to  February  12  is  as  follows : 

October  twenty-third.  —  Wood's  Museum  Company  in  a  performance  of 
f  The  Poor  Gentleman"  at  Globe  Theatre,  Desplaines  Street. 

October  thirtieth.  —  Lecture  on  !' Schiller"  by  Bayard  Taylor,  at  Michi- 
gan Avenue  Baptist  Church. 

November  first.  —  Jane  Coombs's  Company  at  Standard  Hall,  then 
called  the  Michigan  Avenue  Theatre. 

November  fourteenth.  —  Lecture  by  John  G.  Saxe  at  Union  Park  Con- 
gregational Church. 

November  seventeenth.  —  Lecture  to  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
by  Anna  Dickinson. 

November  twenty-third.  —  Wyndham  Company  at  Michigan  Avenue 
Theatre. 

November  twenty-seventh.  —  Lecture  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

November  twenty-seventh.  —  Arlington's  Minstrels  at  West  Side  Opera 
House. 

December  eleventh.  —  Lecture  by  Elizabeth  Cady  Stanton. 
:      December  fourteenth.  —  Concert  at  Martine's  Hall  for  the  benefit  of  St. 


286  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

John's  Church,  in  which  Mrs.  De  Roode  Rice,  pianist,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Farwell, 
Mrs.  O.  K.  Johnson,  and  Messrs.  Howard  and  Sloan  participated.  This 
was  the  first  concert  after  the  fire. 

December  fifteenth.  —  Barnabee  Concert  Troupe  at  Michigan  Avenue 
Baptist  Church. 

December  nineteenth.  —  Lecture  by  Mark  Twain. 

December  twenty-sixth.  —  Lady  Orchestra  at  Burlington  Hall,  State 
and  Sixteenth  streets. 

December  twenty-eighth.  —  Concert  at  Plymouth  Congregational  Church 
by  choir  and  J.  R.  Flagler,  organist. 

February  twelfth.  —  Carl  Rosa  and  Neuendorf  Opera  Season  at  Globe 
Theatre. 

I  am  now  come  to  a  memorable  event  in  the  musical 
history  of  Chicago,  —  the  organization  of  the  Apollo 
Musical  Club,  now  in  its  thirty-sixth  year  and  still 
flourishing  under  the  competent  direction  of  Mr.  Harrison 
Wild.  There  have  been  many  versions  of  its  origin,  but 
I  am  in  a  position  to  state  the  authoritative  one.  The 
first  conception  of  the  Apollo  Club  is  to  be  credited  to 
Mr.  Silas  G.  Pratt,  now  teaching  music  in  New  York. 
One  Sunday  afternoon  in  the  early  summer  of  1872 
Mr.  Pratt  came  to  my  house  and  suggested  that  the 
time  was  ripe  for  the  organization  of  a  singing  society 
of  male  voices  upon  the  lines  of  the  Apollo  Club  of 
Boston.  He  brought  with  him  the  constitution  and  by- 
laws of  the  latter.  We  read  them  carefully  and  dis- 
cussed his  suggestion  from  every  point  of  view.  It 
seemed  to  me  also  a  favorable  time  for  such  a  scheme. 
Six  months  had  elapsed  since  the  great  fire,  and  no 
move  of  any  kind  had  been  made  to  revive  the  interests 
of  music.  There  was  no  musical  society  of  any  kind 
in  the  city.  Something  ought  to  be  done.  A  society 
such  as  Mr.  Pratt  proposed  would  have  the  field  to 
itself  for  a  time  at  least,  and  it  could  have  the  pick  of 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  APOLLO  CLUB  287 

singers.  At  last  I  said  to  him  :  "I  think  your  scheme 
is  practicable.  Go  ahead  with  it,  and  I  will  help  you 
all  I  can."  He  urged  me  to  take  the  presidency  of  the 
society,  and  I  told  him  I  would  consider  it.  Mr.  Pratt 
went  to  work  with  his  customary  energy  and  soon  had 
a  sufficient  number  of  tenors  and  basses  enrolled  to 
make  a  good  working  mannerchor.  Some  time  in 
September  following  twelve  of  them  met  in  an  old 
church,  corner  of  Wabash  Avenue  and  Sixteenth  Street, 
occupied  at  that  time  by  Lyon  and  Healy's  music  store. 
After  singing  a  few  part  songs,  which  Mr.  Pratt 
directed,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  draft  a  form  of 
organization.  At  a  subsequent  and  more  numerously 
attended  meeting  the  committee  reported,  and  the  report 
was  accepted  by  the  following  gentlemen,  who  are  the 
charter  members  of  the  Apollo  Club :  S.  G.  Pratt, 
Charles  T.  Root,  Charles  V.  Pring,  Warren  C.  Coffin, 
Frank  A.  Bowen,  Fritz  Foltz,  J.  R.  Ranney,  E.  H.  Pratt, 
William  H.  Coulston,  Louis  Falk,  Harry  Gates,  C.  C. 
Philips,  J.  S.  Marsh,  W.  W.  Boynton,  S.  E.  Cleveland, 
Edwin  Brown,  A.  B.  Stiles,  Philo  A.  Otis,  George  C. 
Stebbins,  F.  S.  Pond,  Charles  C.  Curtiss,  Theodore  F. 
Brown,  H.  Rocher,  A.  L.  Goldsmith,  William  Sprague, 
A.  R.  Sabin,  William  R.  Allen,  John  A.  Lyndon,  Wil- 
liam Cox,  L.  M.  Prentiss,  Frank  G.  Rohner,  Frank  B. 
Williams,  and  George  P.  Upton.  The  organization  was 
then  perfected  by  the  election  of  the  following  officers : 
President,  George  P.  Upton;  Vice  President,  William 
Sprague ;  Treasurer,  Frank  A.  Bowen ;  Secretary, 
Charles  C.  Curtiss ;  Librarian,  W.  C.  Coffin ;  Musical 
Committee,  Fritz  Foltz,  S.  E.  Cleveland,  and  Philo  A. 


288  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

Otis.  No  conductor  was  chosen  at  that  time.  Mr. 
Pratt  conducted  the  rehearsals  for  a  short  time.  The 
Club  finally  decided  to  tender  the  leadership  to  Mr.  A. 
W.  Dohn,  the  former  leader  of  the  Mendelssohn  Society. 
Mr.  Bowen  and  the  president  waited  upon  Mr.  Dohn 
and  offered  the  position  to  him,  which  he  somewhat 
reluctantly  accepted  on  the  condition  that  the  Club 
would  work  hard  and  work  together  and  submit  to 
his  judgment  on  all  musical  points.  He  added  in  his 
characteristic  way :  "  If  the  Club  don't  like  me  it  can 
discharge  me,  and  if  I  don't  like  the  Club  I  will  dis- 
charge myself  without  waiting  for  permission."  Dohn 
was  an  admirable  conductor  and  a  rigid  disciplinarian, 
but  the  Club  took  to  him  kindly  notwithstanding  his 
exacting  demands  upon  it  as  a  whole  and  his  brusque 
personal  criticisms.  In  a  short  time  he  produced  as- 
tonishing results.  After  working  together  for  several 
months,  both  conductor  and  musical  committee  were 
satisfied  that  they  might  safely  announce  concerts. 
The  evening  of  January  21,  1873,  was  fixed  upon  as 
the  date  of  the  first  concert,  and  Standard  Hall,  the 
only  available  hall  in  the  city,  as  the  place.  That 
concert  not  alone  was  the  successful  debut  of  a  new 
organization,  but  it  marked  the  beginning  of  a  new  im- 
pulse in  music  which  was  destined  to  exert  a  powerful 
influence  upon  musical  progress  and  give  the  Apollo 
Club  a  widespread  reputation.  The  programme  of  this 
concert  was  as  follows : 


1.    Chorus  — "Loyal  Song"      Kuecken 

(a  "He  of  All  the  Best,  the  Noblest" Schumann 

\  b  '.'Greeting" Taubert 

Miss  Jessica  Haskell 


A  REMARKABLE  CAREER  289 

3.  Chorus  —  "Always  More" Seifert 

4.  Solo  —  £' The  Meeting  by  the  Seashore" Loewe 

Mr.  Fritz  Foltz 

5.  Chorus  —  1'Beware" Gerschner 

6.  Piano  Solo-  j  J  gf81"1*  % •    .„Liszt 

(  o  Rhapsodie      WUlmers 

Mr.  Robert  Goldbeck 

7     Chorus J  a  "The  Dreamy  Lake" Schumann 

\  b  "The  Spring  of  Our  Rejoicing" Durrner 

8.  Solo  — "The  Erl  King" Schubert 

Miss  Jessica  Haskell 

9.  Chorus  —  "Champagne  Song" Schroeter 

10.  Solo  —  " Salute  a  Bergamo" Siebert 

Mr.  Frank  A.  Bowen 

11.  Chorus  — "The  Miller's  Daughter" Haertel 

The  Club  gave  four  concerts  during  its  first  season, 
the  soloists  being  Miss  Haskell,  Mrs.  Fox,  Miss  Fanny 
Root,  Miss  Ella  A.  White,  and  the  pianists,  Robert 
Goldbeck,  Anna  Mehlig,  N.  Ledochowski,  and  Emil 
Liebling.  Upon  this  occasion  Anna  Mehlig  was  one  of 
the  audience,  and  was  so  delighted  with  the  singing 
that  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Dohn  and  myself  she  came  to 
the  stage  and  played  two  Chopin  numbers.  The  Club's 
work  made  a  great  sensation.  It  was  the  most  perfect 
Mannerchor  singing  a  Chicago  audience  had  ever  heard. 
Its  success  was  evidently  assured. 

The  Club  began  its  second  season  at  the  new  Kings- 
bury Hall,  September  30,  1873,  and  was  assisted  by 
Mrs.  L.  A.  Huck  in  solos,  by  Mrs.  Farwell,  Mrs. 
Huck,  Mrs.  Johnson,  and  Messrs.  Bischoff,  Foltz,  and 
Bowen  in  a  sextet  from  Mozart's  "  Cosi  fan  tutti,"  and 
Messrs.  Goldbeck,  Lewis,  and  Eicheim  in  the  Beethoven 
Trio,  op.  19.  It  gave  an  extra  concert  with  the 
Thomas  Orchestra,  October  15,  and  on  November  13 
inaugurated  McCormick  Hall,  Wieniawski,  the  violinist, 
and  the  Kunkel  Brothers,  pianists,  being  the  soloists. 

19 


290  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

McCormick  Hall  became  the  Club's  home  for  a  time, 
and  there  it  produced,  with  the  Thomas  Orchestra, 
Schubert's  "  Allmacht,"  Schumann's  "  Gipsy  Life,"  and 
"  Paradise  and  the  Peri."  At  the  last  concert  in  the 
hall,  Mills,  the  pianist,  was  the  soloist. 

The  Club  up  to  this  time  had  sung  as  a  Mdnnerchor 
but  in  the  Autumn  of  1874  there  was  a  general  desire 
expressed  among  the  members  for  a  change  to  mixed 
chorus.  On  the  twenty-first  of  December  the  president, 
vice  president,  and  conductor  resigned.  The  Mdnnerchor 
repertory  was  wellnigh  exhausted,  and  Mr.  Dohn  did  not 
care  to  lead  a  large  mixed  chorus.  The  president  and 
vice  president  had  doubts  as  to  the  success  of  such  a 
change,  which  happily  were  not  verified.  Theodore  F. 
Brown  was  elected  vice  president,  and  Carl  Bergstein 
conductor.  Bergstein  conducted  at  three  concerts,  but 
proved  unsatisfactory,  and  a  change  was  made.  In 
1875  the  officers  elected  were  G.  W.  Chamberlain,  vice 
president ;  E.  G.  Newell,  secretary ;  William  Cox,  treas- 
urer ;  E.  D.  Messinger,  librarian ;  and  William  L.  Tom- 
lins,  conductor.  Mr.  Tomlins  first  directed  the  Club,  at 
the  concert  of  November  17,  1875.  Under  his  regime 
the  Club  was  changed  to  a  mixed  chorus,  the  active 
membership  was  greatly  enlarged,  and  the  chorus  was 
admirably  trained,  especially  in  attack  and  quality  of 
tone.  I  have  always  thought  that  Mr.  Tomlins' s  best 
results  were  obtained  in  the  Club's  festival  of  1877, 
when,  with  the  assistance  of  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith,  the 
Boston  soprano,  Annie  Louise  Cary,  alto,  J.  W.  Winch, 
tenor,  Myron  W.  Whitney,  basso,  the  Thomas  Orchestra, 
and  a  large  chorus  of  children,  the  Club  gave  the  first 


Carl  Wolfsohn 


A  REMARKABLE  CAREER  291 

part  of  Mendelssohn's  "  St.  Paul,"  Gounod's  cantata, 
"  By  Babylon's  Wave,"  Sullivan's  cantata,  "  On  Shore 
and  Sea,"  and  Handel's  "Israel  in  Egypt,"  besides 
minor  compositions.  At  this  festival  Mr.  Tomlins  dis- 
played the  result  of  his  indomitable  industry  and  his 
experience  in  choral  work  at  the  best.  He  also  in- 
augurated the  practice  of  giving  "  The  Messiah "  at 
Christmas  time.  In  his  earlier  interpretation  of  "  The 
Messiah"  he  produced  excellent  results,  but  after  a 
time  made  changes  which  did  not  work  to  advan- 
tage. Since  Mr.  Tomlins's  retirement  from  the  Club 
he  has  devoted  himself  mainly  to  the  training  of  chil- 
dren's voices,  and  to  the  development  of  certain  pe- 
culiar theories  in  regard  to  music.  The  Club  has 
continued  to  prosper  under  Mr.  Wild's  direction  dur- 
ing the  last  ten  or  twelve  years,  and  now  ranks  as 
one  of  the  most  important  choral  organizations  in  the 
country. 

A  year  after  the  organization  of  the  Apollo  Club  the 
Beethoven  Society  literally  sprang  into  existence.  It 
was  born  October  28,  1873.  Carl  Wolfsolm,  a  promi- 
nent Philadelphia  musician,  was  here  on  a  visit  in 
October,  and  friends  who  were  acquainted  with  his 
abilities  as  pianist,  teacher,  and  conductor,  assured  him 
they  would  organize  a  society  if  he  would  remain  here 
and  take  the  conductorship.  He  accepted  the  offer,  and 
the  society  was  promptly  organized  and  named  for  his 
favorite  composer,  a  bust  of  whom  he  subsequently  gave 
to  Lincoln  Park.  Its  officers  at  the  outset  were  :  Henry 
Greenebaum,  president ;  John  G.  Shortall,  vice  president; 


292  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

Agnes  Ingersoll,  secretary;  and  J.  M.  Hubbard,  treas- 
urer. The  first  concert  was  given  January  15.  1874. 
It  was  a  memorable  concert  in  one  particular,  for, 
unlike  the  Apollo  Club,  the  Beethoven  Society  began 
its  career  as  a  mixed  chorus.  It  was  much  the  largest 
and  by  far  the  most  important  aggregation  of  male 
and  female  voices  Chicago  had  yet  heard.  With  this 
attraction,  and  aided  by  Mr.  Wolfsohn's  enthusiastic 
leadership,  the  Society  enjoyed  continuous  success 
until  Tomlins,  with  his  mixed  chorus,  which  was  still 
better  trained,  made  serious  inroads  upon  its  prosperity. 
There  is  no  question  that  Mr.  Wolfsohn  was  sincerely 
devoted  to  music,  that  he  was  uncommercial  in  every 
way  connected  with  art,  and  that  he  labored  honestly 
and  indefatigably  to  make  the  Beethoven  Society  a 
power  in  music;  but  while  he  was  a  better  musician 
than  Tomlins,  he  was  not  so  able  a  conductor.  Still  his 
society  lasted  eleven  years,  and  in  that  time  did  some 
excellent  work.  One  of  its  most  memorable  occasions 
was  the  concert  given  in  December,  1874,  upon  the 
one  hundred  and  fourth  anniversary  of  Beethoven's 
birth.  The  Society  sang  the  Beethoven  Mass  in  C 
and  "  Hallelujah  Chorus,"  and  the  "  Choral  Fantasie  " 
was  given  in  fine  style,  Mrs.  Regina  Watson  at  the 
piano.  In  addition  to  the  regular  concerts  the  Soci- 
ety gave  reunions,  and  Mr.  Wolfsohn  also  gave  four 
series  of  piano  recitals,  in  one  of  which  he  played 
the  Beethoven  Sonatas,  and  in  the  second  and  third 
the  principal  piano  music  of  Schumann  and  Chopin. 
The  fourth  was  historical  in  character.  They  were 
most   remarkable    undertakings,   and    represented   the 


WOLFSOHN  AND  THE  BEETHOVEN  SOCIETY         293 

highest  standards  of  piano  music  as  well  as  of  artistic 
performance. 

The  societies  organized  since  the  Apollo  Club  and 
Beethoven  Society  do  not  come  within  the  scope  of 
these  "  Memories."  They  may  be  considered  as  current 
events. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

SOME  EVENTS  AT  HOME 

THE  WORLD'S  FAIR  MUSIC  —  ITS  INCEPTION  AND  FAILURE  — 
WHAT  WAS  DONE  AND  NOT  DONE  —  THE  FORCES  ENGAGED 
—  MUSIC  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR  PERIOD  —  DR.  GEORGE  F. 
ROOT  —  HIS  EARLY  CAREER  —  "  THE  BATTLE  CRY  OF  FREE- 
DOM "  —  HOW  IT  CAME  TO  BE  WRITTEN  —  ROOT  AS  A  COM- 
POSER —  THE  AUDITORIUM  —  HOME  OF  GRAND  OPERA  — 
ITS  DEDICATION  —  WORKS  PERFORMED  IN  IT  —  MILWARD 
ADAMS'S  MANAGEMENT  —  THE  STUDEBAKER  THEATRE  — 
HOME  OF  OPERA  IN  ENGLISH  —  WORKS  PERFORMED  IN  IT  — 
CHARLES  C.  CURTISS'S  MANAGEMENT 

BEFORE  closing  these  memories  I  wish  to  say  a 
little  about  the  music  of  the  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion, the  patriotic  music  of  the  Civil  War  period, 
and  also  to  show  what  the  managers  of  the  Auditorium 
and  Studebaker  Theatre  have  done  for  the  advance- 
ment of  music  in  Chicago.  The  last  two  topics  con- 
cern establishments  still  in  existence  and  flourishing 
under  their  original  managers,  but  they  serve  to  close 
the  events  of  the  half  century. 

The  story  of  the  World's  Fair  music  is  a  tragic  one. 
Never  was  a  musical  scheme  more  nobly  planned,  and 
never  did  one  promise  to  be  richer  in  results.  It  was 
devised  by  the  ablest,  most  sincere,  and  most  con- 
scientious of  American  directors,  endowed  with  nearly 
fifty  years  of  experience,  the  pioneer  of  instrumental 
music  in  this  country,  and  the  acknowledged  leader 
in  national   musical   progress.     He  was  given,  as  he 


THE  WORLD'S  FAIR  MUSIC  295 

supposed,  absolute  authority.  His  scheme,  if  it  had 
been  carried  out,  would  have  exhibited  the  world's 
musical  progress  from  the  classical  period  to  the  pres- 
ent. He  prepared  an  exhaustive  repertory  of  vocal  and 
instrumental  music  and  collected  a  brilliant  array  of 
artists  and  composers  for  the  performances.  I  have 
already  shown  in  the  personal  sketch  of  Mr.  Thomas 
how  his  plans  were  frustrated  by  the  incompetency 
of  some  of  his  assistants,  the  ignorance  of  some  of  his 
official  superiors,  and  the  jealousy  and  greed  of  commer- 
cialism. His  administration  should  have  ended  Octo- 
ber 11,  with  brilliant  success,  and  it  would  have  done  so 
had  he  been  left  free  to  carry  out  his  plans.  But  he 
was  too  proud  to  be  dominated  by  ignorance,  too  honest 
to  yield  to  commercialism,  too  honorable  to  insult  a 
great  artist.  It  closed  August  11,  when  he  laid  down 
his  baton  and  retired,  grieved  and  disappointed.  How 
bitter  was  his  disappointment  those  closest  to  him  only 
knew.  With  his  resignation  the  splendid  scheme  col- 
lapsed like  a  bubble.  From  August  11  to  October  11 
an  acephalous  musical  crowd  controlled  the  World's 
Fair  music,  and  mediocrity  reigned  supreme.  Mr. 
Thomas's  enemies  had  triumphed,  but,  like  Samson,  they 
pulled  down  the  temple  of  music,  and  the  World's  Fair 
musical  scheme  was  buried  in  the  ruins. 

The  Bureau  of  Music  was  composed  of  Theodore 
Thomas,  director ;  William  F.  Tomlins,  choral  director ; 
and  George  H.  Wilson,  secretary.  The  dedicatory  ex- 
ercises took  place  October  22,  1892.  The  interpreting 
force  included  5570  singers,  190  orchestra  players,  fifty 
bands  of  fifty  each,  and  fifty  drummers.     The  musical 


296  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

selections  were  the  "  Columbus  Hymn  and  March,"  for 
orchestra,  military  bands,  and  chorus,  written  for  the 
occasion  by  Professor  Paine  of  Harvard  University ; 
the  music  to  Miss  Harriet  Monroe's  ode,  written  by 
George  W.  Chadwick ;  Mendelssohn's  cantata  "  To  the 
Sons  of  Art " ;  Beethoven's  Chorus  "  In  Praise  of 
God";  and  the  patriotic  numbers  "  Star-Spangled 
Banner  "  and  "  Hail  Columbia."  As  the  music  halls 
were  not  ready  at  the  opening,  May  1,  1893,  the  pro- 
gramme simply  included  Paine' s  "March  and  Hymn" 
without  chorus,  and  the  overture  to  "  Rienzi."  Upon  the 
same  day  the  Board  of  Lady  Managers  celebrated  the 
opening  of  the  Woman's  Building  with  a  programme 
including  a  "  Jubilate  "  for  mixed  voices  and  orchestra, 
by  Mrs.  H.  H.  A.  Beach  of  Boston ;  a  grand  march  for 
orchestra  by  Frau  Ingeborg  von  Bronsart  of  Weimar ; 
the  "  Dramatic  Overture  "  by  Miss  Frances  Ellicott  of 
London ;  and  the  so-called  national  tune  "  America." 
The  inaugural  concert  was  given  on  the  next  day  with 
the  following  dignified  programme : 

1.  Overture,  "Consecration  of  the  House" Beethoven 

2.  Concerto  in  A  minor,  op.  17 Paderewski 

Ignace  Jan  Paderewski 

3.  The  Unfinished  Symphony Schubert 

4.  Nocturne,  prelude,  mazurka,  and  berceuse Chopin 

Ignace  Jan  Paderewski 

5.  Prelude  to  "  The  Meistersingers " Wagner 

Thus  was  Mr.  Thomas's  scheme  introduced.  The  in- 
strumental forces  which  he  utilized  during  his  adminis- 
tration were  the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra,  Franz 
Kneisel,  leader ;  New  York  Symphony  Orchestra,  Walter 
Damrosch,  leader ;  the  Kneisel  Quartette ;  and  his  own 


kTHE  SOCIETIES  AND  SOLOISTS  297 

band.     The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  vocal 
societies  which  took  part : 

St.  Paul  Choral  Association  and  Minneapolis  Choral  Associ- 
ation, S.  A.  Baldwin,  leader  ;  Cincinnati  Festival  Association, 
Theodore  Thomas,  leader ;  Apollo  Club  of  Chicago,  W.  F. 
Tomlins,  leader ;  Milwaukee  Arion  Club,  Arthur  Weld,  leader ; 
St.  Louis  Choral  Association,  Joseph  Otten,  leader  ;  Brook- 
lyn Arion  Society,  Arthur  Claasen,  leader;  Lineff  Russian 
Choir,  J.  V.  Hlavac,  leader;  German-American  Women's 
Chorus,  Gabriel  Katzenberger,  leader;  German  Liederkranz, 
New  York,  Heinrich  Zoellner,  leader;  Cleveland  vocal  so- 
ciety, Alfred  Arthur,  leader ;  Columbus  Arion  Club,  W.  H. 
Lott,  leader ;  Dayton  Philharmonic  Society,  W.  L.  Blumen- 
schein,  leader ;  Louisville  Musical  Club,  L.  A.  Torrens,  leader ; 
Pittsburg  Mozart  Club,  J.  P.  McCullum,  leader;  Omaha 
Apollo  Club,  L.  A.  Torrens,  leader ;  Junger  Mannerchor, 
Carl  Samans,  leader;  American  Union  of  Swedish  Singers, 
John  R.  Ostergren,  leader  ;  United  Scandinavian  Singers  of 
America,  J.  W.  Colberg,  leader ;  Scottish  Choral  Union  (led 
by  Mr.  Thomas)  ;  Stoughton,  Mass.,  Musical  Society  (organ- 
ized in  1786),  L.  Soule,  leader ;  Topeka  Chorus,  George  Wil- 
der, leader ;  Emporia,  Kans.,  Chorus,  William  Rees,  leader ; 
Abilene-Salina,  Kans.,  Chorus,  M.  H.  Hewitt,  leader ;  Newton, 
Kans.,  Chorus,  Mrs.  Gaston  Boyd,  leader ;  Leavenworth, 
Kans.,  Chorus,  Mrs.  S.  W.  Jones,  leader ;  Hutchinson,  Kans., 
chorus,  B.  S.  Hoagland,  leader;  Lyon,  Kans.,  Chorus,  W.  C. 
Little,  leader;  Sterling,  Kans.,  Chorus,  Mr.  Van  Diemen, 
leader;  and  Chicago  Columbian  Chorus,  W.  L.  Tomlins, 
leader. 

The  instrumental  soloists  were  as  follows  : 

Pianists.  —  Ignace  Jan  Paderewski,  W.  H.  Sherwood,  Fanny 
B.  Zeisler,  Emil  Liebling,  Carl  Stasny,  Rata  Oskleston-Lippe, 
Anna  Wallin,  Ada  McGregor,  Rubinstein  Demarest,  H.  M. 
Field,  Neallie  Stevens,  and  Neallie  Reder-Crane. 


298  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

Violinists.  —  C.  M.  Loeffler,  Max  Bendix,  Adolph  Brodsky, 
Richard  Arnold,  Maud  Powell,  George  MacDonald,  J.  Abbie 
Clarke,  Theodore  Spiering. 

1 'Cellists.  —  Alwin  Schroeder,  Bruno  Steindl. 

Harpists.  —  Edward  Schuecker,  Esmerald  Cervantes,  M. 
Aptommas. 

Clarinetist.  —  J.  Schreurs. 

Flutist.  —  Vigo  Andersen. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  vocal  soloists : 

Sopranos.  —  Araalie  Materna,  Minnie  Fish  Griffin,  Felice 
Kaschoska,  Lilian  Blauvelt,  Agnes  Thompson,  Electa  Gif- 
ford,  Emma  Juch,  Corinne  Moore-Lawson,  Genevra  John- 
stone-Bishop,  Lilian  Rive,  Jennie  Dutton,  Helen  Buckley, 
Lilian  .Nordica,  Priscilla  White,  Medora  Hensen,  Madame 
Suelke,  Caroline  Ostberg,  Sigrid  Wolf,  Signe  Hille,  Augusta 
Ohrstrom-Renard,  Carrie  Benzinger,  Mabel  Munro,  Marie  W. 
Fobert,  Ernestine  Colton,  S.  C.  Ford,  Kate  Rulla,  Louise 
Nikita,  Emma  Heckla. 

Contraltos.  —  Katharine  Fisk,  Lena  Little,  Christine  Niel- 
sen-Dreyer,  Mary  Louise  Clary.  Belle  I.  Wright,  Bella 
Tomlins. 

Tenors.  —  Edward  Lloyd,  Whitney  Mockridge,  Wilhelm 
Herold,  Frank  A.  Dunham,  Ben  Davies,  Charles  A.  Knorr. 

Barytones.  —  George  E.  Holmes,  Louis  Ehrgott,  Egon 
Eisenbaum,  C  F.  Lindquist. 

Bassos.  —  Ericksen  F.  Bushnell,  A.  F.  Maish,  Emil  Fischer, 
Gardner  Lamson,  Plunket  Greene,  Conrad  Behrens,  Orme 
d'Arval,  W.  A.  Goodrich,  Thomas  A.  Morris. 

The  symphonies  performed  were  Beethoven's  third, 
fifth,  and  seventh ;  Schubert's  Unfinished  and  ninth ; 
Schumann's  third  and  fourth;  Mozart's  G  minor  and 
"Jupiter";  Brahms' s  fourth;  Tschaikowsky's  fourth  and 
fifth ;  Raff's  third,  and  Chadwick's  second.  The  large 
vocal  works  were  the  "  Elijah,"  "  Creation,"  "  Mes- 
siah," "  St.  Matthew's  Passion,"  "  St.  Paul,"  "  Utrecht 


THE  SEASON'S  WORK  299 

Jubilate,"  "  Judas  Maccabceus,"  Berlioz's  "  Requiem," 
Brahms's  "German  Requiem,"  Rossini's  " Stabat  Mater," 
and  the  "  Hymn  of  Praise." 

During  the  one  hundred  and  three  days  of  the 
Thomas  administration,  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
concerts  of  a  high  class  were  given  under  his  super- 
vision, which  may  be  grouped  as  follows :  Popular 
orchestral  concerts,  53 ;  Music  Hall  series,  34 ;  Re- 
cital Hall  series,  4 ;  in  the  Woman's  Building,  3 ; 
American  artist  series,  2.  As  already  said,  Mr.  Thomas 
retired  August  11.  Then  followed  a  hodge-podge  of 
shreds  and  patches.  Max  Bendix  was  given  charge 
of  the  orchestra,  and  Mr.  Tomlins  remained  as  director 
of  the  vocal  forces.  Bendix  gave  twenty-nine  popular 
concerts  and  six  with  a  string  quartet,  organized  as 
follows :  First  violin,  Bendix ;  second  violin,  Knoll ; 
viola,  Junker;  'cello,  Unger.  There  were  eight  so- 
called  song-recitals  by  a  group  of  Thompsons.  I  think 
they  hailed  from  Kansas,  but  their  locale  matters  little. 
The  Apollo  Club  sang  two  or  three  times,  and  Tomlins 
mustered  his  children  several  times  and  put  them 
through  their  paces.  There  were  sixty-two  organ  con- 
certs by  twenty  organists,  the  best  known  of  whom 
were  Guilmant,  Eddy,  Whiting,  Carl,  Lang,  Wild, 
Middelschulte,  Thunder,  and  Coerne.  But  where  one 
person  listened  to  the  organ  peals,  ten  thousand  hung 
around  the  band  stands  and  cheered  Inness  and  Sousa. 
At  last  the  Lineff  Russian  choir,  which  had  been  off 
barn-storming,  returned  and  gave  one  funereal  concert, 
October  11,  to  a  handful  of  people,  which  put  an  end  to 
the  musical  muddle  —  a  finale  not  worth  a  doxology. 


300  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

Thus  closes  the  mournful  story  of  the  World's  Fair 
music  tragedy.  It  is  little  wonder  that  at  a  later  date, 
when  the  managers  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Expo- 
sition at  St.  Louis  invited  Mr.  Thomas  to  take  the 
musical  directorship  he  promptly  but  respectfully  de- 
clined and  advised  them  to  confine  their  music  to  the 
band  stands  in  the  open  air. 

The  mere  mention  of  the  patriotic  songs  produced 
during  the  Civil  War  period  recalls  memories  of  Dr. 
George  F.  Koot.  He  was  a  courteous,  refined  gentle- 
man of  the  old  school,  always  wearing  a  genial  smile, 
and  the  cheeriest  of  optimists.  Witness  the  closing  sen- 
tence in  his  autobiography :  "  My  wife  and  I  would 
be  glad  to  be  permitted  to  see  our  golden  wedding-day, 
which  will  be  in  1895,  and  still  more,  to  look  over  into 
the  twentieth  century,  which  will  be  five  years  later; 
but  if  that  cannot  be,  we  will  be  thankful  for  the  pleas- 
ant life  we  have  lived  here,  and  hope  for  a  pleasanter 
and  still  more  useful  life  hereafter." 

As  a  composer,  Mr.  Root  was  of  the  school  of  Lowell 
Mason,  Webb,  Hastings,  Bradbury,  and  those  other 
pioneers  whose  names  are  closely  connected  with  the 
old-fashioned  singing  schools,  musical  conventions,  and 
normal  institutes, — departments  of  the  craft  which 
have  gradually  given  place  to  more  modern  methods. 
He  was  of  Massachusetts  birth  and  proud  of  it,  as  is 
every  son  of  the  Old  Bay  State.  His  early  days  were 
passed  in  North  Reading,  a  charming  old-fashioned 
village  in  Essex  County  noted  in  the  old  days  as  the 
scene  of  the  witchcraft  superstition,  and  in  these  days 


George   F.   Hoot 


DR.  GEORGE  F.   ROOT  301 

as  the  only  section  of  Massachusetts  where  real  New 
Englanders  or  Yankees  may  be  found.  He  began  his 
musical  career  in  1838  as  a  choir  singer  and  organist, 
and  a  year  later  organized  a  singing  school  and  became 
identified  with  institutes  for  the  instruction  of  teachers 
and  choir  leaders.  All  this  in  Boston  and  its  vicinity. 
In  1844  he  went  to  New  York  and  entered  upon  the 
same  duties  on  a  more  extensive  scale.  In  those  days 
he  belonged  to  a  vocal  quartette,  which  made  such  a 
successful  appearance  in  a  New  York  Philharmonic 
concert  that  Theodore  Eisfeld,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
chamber  music  before  Theodore  Thomas  and  William 
Mason  were  in  the  field,  wrote  a  quartet  for  them.  In 
1850  he  went  to  Europe,  heard  everything  worth  hear- 
ing, and  made  some  valuable  acquaintances  in  England 
who  were  of  great  service  to  him  in  after  years.  Back 
at  his  work  in  1851,  he  began  composing.  Stephen  C. 
Foster's  songs  were  all  the  rage  at  that  time,  and  their 
success  tempted  him  to  enter  the  same  field,  which  was 
not  so  overcrowded  as  it  is  now.  "  Hazel  Dell "  (1852) 
was  his  first  essay  in  this  line,  and  this  was  followed 
by  "  Rosalie,  the  Prairie  Flower."  About  this  time 
he  also  produced  a  sacred  song,  "  Shining  Shore," 
which  is  still  a  favorite.  "  Hazel  Dell "  and  "  Rosa- 
lie" are  now  almost  forgotten,  except  by  old  timers 
who  lived  in  that  period  when  it  was  not  a  crime  to 
be  sentimental.  In  those  days  Braham  and  Henry 
Russell  were  here  singing  sentimental  ditties,  and  I, 
for  one,  would  be  glad  to  hear  them  now  if  only 
Braham  and  Russell  were  here  to  sing  them. 

It  was  in  1858  that  Towner,  Dr.  Root's  brother,  and 


302  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

CM.  Cady,  who  for  a  time  was  leader  of  the  Musical 
Union,  started  a  music  store  in  Chicago.  Dr.  Root  was 
a  partner  in  the  concern,  and  this  brought  him  to  Chi- 
cago about  the  year  1861,  and  from  those  days  until 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  citizen  here,  well  known 
and  esteemed  by  all.  The  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War 
induced  him  to  produce  patriotic  songs,  which  appeared 
at  intervals,  inspired  by  contemporaneous  events  in  the 
great  struggle.  His  first  song  was,  "  The  first  Gun  is 
fired,"  but  it  did  not  make  much  of  a  hit.  When 
President  Lincoln  issued  his  second  call  for  troops,  "  The 
Battle  Cry  of  Freedom  "  occurred  to  him  as  a  motive 
for  a  song,  while  he  was  reading  the  document.  He 
dashed  it  off  hurriedly  the  next  morning  at  the  store. 
There  was  to  be  a  public  meeting  on  the  same  day  in  the 
Court  House  Square.  Frank  and  Jules  Lumbard,  who 
were  the  singers  laureate  of  the  war  period,  came  to  the 
store  to  get  something  new  to  sing.  The  Doctor  gave 
them  "  The  Battle  Cry."  They  ran  it  over  once  or 
twice,  went  to  the  meeting,  and  shouted  it  in  their 
trumpet  tones,  and  before  the  last  verse  was  finished 
thousands  joined  in  the  refrain.  It  spread  from  that 
Square  all  over  the  country.  It  was  heard  in  camps,  on 
the  march,  upon  the  battle-field.  It  became  the  North- 
ern Marseillaise.  I  heard  it  sung  once  under  peculiar 
circumstances,  when  I  was  with  the  Mississippi  River 
flotilla,  acting  as  correspondent  for  "The  Chicago  Tri- 
bune." There  was  a  transport  in  convoy  of  the  fleet, 
with  troops  on  board.  One  evening,  as  I  sat  upon  the 
deck  of  the  gunboat  wondering  what  would  happen 
next  day,  for  the  Confederates  were  in  our  immediate 


"THE  BATTLE  CRY  OF   FREEDOM"  303 

vicinity  behind  strong  batteries,  I  heard  a  clear  tenor 
voice  on  the  transport  singing  "  The  Battle  Cry  of  Free- 
dom." As  the  singer's  notes  died  away  on  the  evening 
air,  the  response  of  "  Dixie  "  came  across  the  water  from 
an  equally  clear  tenor.  As  soon  as  he  had  ceased  the 
first  singer  kept  up  the  concert  by  a  vigorous  shout  of 
the  song  which  declares  the  intention  of  "  hanging  Jeff 
Davis  on  a  sour  apple  tree,  as  we  go  marching  on." 
And  then  all  was  silent  for  the  night.  There  was  no 
song  of  the  war  time  that  equalled  "  The  Battle  Cry  " 
in  popularity  and  patriotic  inspiration.  I  think  it 
was  more  effective  than  Work's  "  Marching  through 
Georgia,"  for  that  was  reminiscent  of  the  past,  while 
"  The  Battle  Cry  "  was  an  appeal  in  a  crisis.  Dr.  Root 
wrote  several  other  war  songs,  among  which  "  Tramp, 
tramp,  tramp,  the  Boys  are  marching "  was  the  best 
known.  He  also  persuaded  Henry  Clay  Work  to  utilize 
his  song-writing  ability  in  the  national  cause.  The 
success  of  P.  P.  Bliss,  the  "  sweet-singing "  evangelist, 
was  also  largely  due  to  his  encouragement. 

Dr.  Root  was  not  a  composer  of  great  music.  He 
did  not  write  what  is  known  as  the  higher  music.  He 
has  left  nothing  for  the  orchestra.  He  wrote  popular 
music  of  the  better  class,  and  music  which  always 
served  a  useful  purpose.  His  compositions  may  be 
divided  into  four  groups  :  1.  Sentimental  songs  for  the 
fireside  and  concert  room,  like  "  Hazel  Dell,"  "  Rosalie," 
"  The  Vacant  Chair,"  and  "  There  is  Music  in  the  Air." 
2.  War  songs,  like  "  The  Battle  Cry,"  "  Tramp,  tramp," 
and  "Just  before  the  Battle."     3.   Sacred  songs,  like 


304  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

"  I  will  lay  me  down  in  Peace,"  "  The  Shining  Shore," 
and  hundreds  of  others  for  the  Church  and  Sabbath 
School,  which  are  even  better  known  in  England  than 
in  this  country.  4.  Cantatas  for  mixed  voices,  and 
Psalm-books  for  choirs. 

The  war  songs  have  disappeared  with  the  occasion 
which  inspired  them.  He  never  attempted  to  write  a 
national  anthem.  And  this  brings  up  the  old  question, 
Why  is  it  that  we  have  not  a  national  anthem  of  our 
own?  It  should  be  humiliating  to  the  national  pride 
that  our  "  Star-Spangled  Banner  "  is  sung  to  the  tune 
of  an  English  tavern  drinking  song ;  that  "  Columbia, 
the  Gem  of  the  Ocean,"  is  borrowed  from  "  Britannia, 
the  Pride  of  the  Ocean " ;  that  the  melody  of  "  Hail 
Columbia "  is  of  uncertain  origin ;  that  the  tune  of 
"  America  "  came  to  us  after  it  had  done  years  of  ser- 
vice in  France  and  England ;  and  that  "  Yankee  Doodle  " 
may  have  been  an  English  country  dance,  or  a  Dutch 
children's  song,  or  a  Magyar  melody,  or  a  Biscayan  air, 
or  an  outgrowth  from  the  vocal  motive  in  Beethoven's 
Choral  Symphony,  —  anything,  indeed,  except  an  Amer- 
ican melody.  The  English  have  their  "  Rule  Britannia  " 
and  "  God  save  the  Queen  "  ;  the  French,  their  "  Mar- 
seillaise "  and  "  Partant  pour  la  Syrie  "  ;  the  Germans, 
their  "Heil  dir  im  Siegenkranz "  and  "Wacht  am 
Rhein  "  ;  the  Austrians,  their  "  Emperor's  Hymn  "  ;  the 
Dutch,  their  "Wilhelmus  van  Nassouwe";  the  Rus- 
sians, their  impressive  chorale,  "  God  preserve  Thy 
People  "  ;  the  Swiss,  their  "  Ranz  des  Vaches  "  ;  the 
Danes,  their  "  King  Christian  stod,"  —  all  of  home 
production.     All  of  ours  are  borrowed.     It  is  said  that 


THE  CHICAGO  AUDITORIUM  305 

national  anthems  are  inspired  when  the  moment  comes. 
The  moment  is  a  long  time  coming. 

The  thought  of  the  massive  Auditorium,  with  its 
great  strong  tower  "standing  four  square"  to  all  the 
winds  of  heaven,  was  first  conceived  by  Ferdinand  W. 
Peck,  and  his  indomitable  energy  and  enlightened  lib- 
erality, aided  by  a  cohesion  of  public-spirited  men,  for- 
warded its  construction  and  crowned  the  scheme  with 
success.  It  was  dedicated  to  art,  December  9,  1889, 
amid  scenes  of  exceptional  brilliancy.  The  President 
and  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  Benjamin 
Harrison  and  Levi  P.  Morton,  who  had  been  nominated 
within  its  walls  before  it  was  finished,  left  their  official 
duties  in  Washington  to  honor  the  occasion  with  their 
presence,  thus  making  it  a  national  event.  The  gov- 
ernors of  several  States,  prominent  Canadian  officials, 
the  State,  county,  and  city  officials,  and  distinguished 
men  and  women  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  were  in 
attendance.  France  had  the  honor  of  furnishing  the 
first  music  performed  at  the  dedication ;  M.  Theodore 
Dubois,  professor  of  composition  in  the  Paris  Conser- 
vatory and  successor  to  M.  Saint-Saens  as  organist  at 
the  Madeleine,  contributed  a  "Triumphal  Fantasie"  for 
organ  and  orchestra ;  and  M.  de  la  Tombell,  at  one  time 
a  pupil  of  Dubois,  a  "  Concert  Fantasie  "  for  organ  solo. 
The  other  numbers  were  Mr.  F.  G.  Gleason's  scholarly 
setting  in  the  form  of  a  symphonic  cantata  for  tenor 
solo,  chorus  and  orchestra  of  Miss  Harriet  Monroe's 
Festival  Ode,  written  for  the  occasion,  Mr.  Walter  T. 

Root  taking  the  solo  and  the  Apollo  Club  the  choral 

20 


306  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

work ;  the  choruses,  "  See  the  Conquering  Hero  comes," 
"The  Heavens  are  telling,"  from  the  "Creation,"  the 
"  Hallelujah  Chorus  "  from  the  "  Messiah,"  and  "  Amer- 
ica." Adelina  Patti  completed  the  programme  by  sing- 
ing "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  and  the  familiar  Swiss  Echo 
Song  for  an  encore. 

The  dedication  was  followed  by  a  four  weeks'  season 
of  Italian  opera  presented  by  the  Abbey,  Grau,  and 
Schoeffel  opera  troupe,  which  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
most  successful,  musically  and  financially,  ever  given 
in  this  country.  There  was  a  spirited  competition  for 
choice  of  boxes,  and  generous  premiums  were  paid,  due 
in  part  to  civic  pride,  in  part  to  the  cajoling  eloquence 
of  Franklin  Head,  the  auctioneer.  George  M.  Pullman 
got  first  choice  for  $1600  ;  R.  T.  Crane,  second,  $1000  ; 
Marshall  Field,  third,  $1000  ;  Samuel  Allerton,  fourth, 
$1000  ;  C.  M.  Cummings,  fifth,  $900 ;  R.  C.  Nickerson, 
sixth,  $800;  S.  M.  Nickerson,  seventh,  $800;  Otto 
Young,  eighth,  $700 ;  Marshall  Field,  ninth,  $700 ; 
George  S.  Walker,  tenth,  $800  ;  C.  W.  Fuller,  eleventh, 
$900;  W.  L.  Peck,  twelfth,  $800.  The  remaining 
boxes  were  disposed  of  at  premiums  ranging  from  $700 
to  $125,  and  nearly  all  the  chairs  in  the  parquet  were 
taken  at  a  fifty-dollar  premium.  It  was  a  testimonial 
to  the  municipal  patriotism  of  the  four  highest  bidders 
that  not  one  of  them  was  particularly  interested  in 
music. 

The  season  opened  December  10,  with  a  performance 
of  Gounod's  "  Romeo  and  Juliet,"  cast  as  follows  :  Juliet, 
Mme.  Patti ;  Stefano,  Mme.  Fabbri ;  Gertrude,  Mile. 
Bauermeister ;    Tybalt,   Sig.   Perugini ;    Benvolio,  Sig. 


OPERATIC  SEASONS  AT  THE   AUDITORIUM 


307 


Bieletto ;  Mercutio,  Sig.  Del  Puente ;  Paris,  Sig.  Lucini ; 
Gregorio,  Sig.  Cernusco ;  Capulet,  Sig.  de  Vaschetti ; 
Friar  Laurence,  Sig.  Marcassa;  Romeo,  Sig.  Ravelli; 
Conductor,  Sig.  Sapio.  The  crowning  event  of  the 
season,  however,  was  not  "  Romeo  and  Juliet "  with 
Patti  and  Ravelli,  but  Verdi's  "  Otello "  with  Albani 
and  Tamagno.  It  was  performed  January  2, 1890,  and 
its  cast  should  be  preserved  :  Desdemona,  Mme.  Albani ; 
Emilia,  Mme.  Synneberg ;  Iago,  Sig.  Del  Puente ;  Cassio, 
Sig.  Perugino ;  Roderigo,  Sig.  Bieletto ;  Lodovico,  Sig. 
Castelmary ;  Montano,  Sig.  de  Vaschetti ;  Otello,  Sig. 
Tamagno ;  Conductor,  Sig.  Arditi. 

The  following  table  gives  the  number  and  duration 
of  operatic  seasons  from  the  dedication  of  the  Audito- 
rium to  the  present  time  : 


Dec.     10 

1889 

March  10 

1890 

April    21 

1890 

Nov.       9 

1891 

March  12 

1894 

Jan.      11 

1895 

April     15 

1895 

Nov.     18 

1895 

Jan.      23 

1896 

Feb.     22 

1897 

March  14 

1898 

Nov.       7 

1898 

Feb.      13 

1899 

March  20 

1899 

Nov.     13 

1899 

March  12 

1900 

Dec.     24 

1900 

April    22 

1901 

March  31 

1902 

Dec. 

20-21 

April      7 

1903 

March  14 

1904 

March  20 

1905 

April      2 

1906 

Feb.      18 

1907 

Abbey,  Schoeffel,  and  Grau  troupe     .    .    .  four  weeks 

Abbey,  Schoeffel,  and  Grau  troupe     .    .    .  one  week 

Metropolitan  German  troupe three  weeks 

Abbey,  Schoeffel,  and  Grau  troupe     .    .    .  five  weeks 

Abbey,  Schoeffel,  and  Grau  troupe     .    .    .  four  weeks 

Abbey,  Schoeffel,  and  Grau  troupe     .    .    .  three  weeks 

Damrosch  troupe one  week 

Damrosch  troupe two  weeks 

Abbey,  Schoeffel,  and  Grau  troupe     .    .    .  two  weeks 

Abbey,  Schoeffel,  and  Grau  troupe     .    .    .  four  weeks 

Damrosch  and  Ellis  Combination    ....  two  weeks 

Maurice  Grau  troupe three  weeks 

Ellis  Opera  troupe      two  weeks 

New  Orleans  French  opera  troupe  ....  one  week 

Maurice  Grau  troupe three  weeks 

New  Orleans  French  opera  troupe  ....  three  weeks 

Savage  Metropolitan  English  troupe  .    .    .  two  weeks 

Maurice  Grau  troupe one  week 

Maurice  Grau  troupe two  weeks 

Mascagni's  troupe two  performances 

Maurice  Grau  troupe two  weeks 

Conned  troupe two  weeks 

Conried  troupe one  week 

Conried  troupe one  week 

San  Carlo  troupe one  week 


308 


MUSICAL  MEMORIES 


April      8,  1907      Conned  troupe one  week 

Jan.      20,  1908      San  Carlo  troupe three  weeka 

April    20,  1908      Conried  troupe one  week 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  table  that  opera  seasons 
during  the  last  eight  years  have  not  only  been  less  fre- 
quent, but  that  they  have  steadily  diminished  in  length. 
During  these  nineteen  years  there  have  been  278  per- 
formances of  opera  in  the  Auditorium.  Seventy-nine 
different  operas  have  been  presented,  eighteen  of  them 
for  the  first  time  in  this  city.  The  following  list  of 
these  operas  may  prove  valuable  for  reference.  The 
star  indicates  operas  given  for  the  first  time  here : 


Operas 


First  T 


Romeo  and  Juliet Dec.     10 

William  Tell Dec.     11 

Faust Dec.     12 

II  Trovatore Dec.     13 

Lucia  di  Lammermoor Dec.     14 

Aida Dec.     16 

Semiramide Dec.     17 

Martha Dec.     21 

Huguenots Dec.     23 

Traviata Dec.     24 

Sonnambula Dec.     27 

♦Othello Jan.       2 

Barber  of  Seville Jan.       4 

Pinafore Feb.     10 

Mikado Feb.     20 

Pirates  of  Penzance March    5 

L'Africaine      March  10 

Linda March  11 

*Lakme March  13 

♦Salammbo March  14 

Tannhauser April    21 

Meistereinger April    23 

La  Juire       April    24 

Lohengrin April    25 

Masked  Ball April    28 

Flying  Dutchman April    29 

Fidelio      April    30 

*Queen  of  Sheba May       1 

Norma      May       2 

♦Barber  of  Bagdad May   5 

♦La  Poup6e May   5 


1889 
1889 
1889 
1889 
1889 
1889 
1889 
1889 
1889 
1889 
1889 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 


No.  of  Performances 
13 


5 

38 

17 

15 

20 

4 

9 

22 

6 

3 

8 

10 

32 

16 

5 

5 

1 

1 

3 

19 

6 

6 

27 

2 

1 

2 

6 

2 

3 

6 


AUDITORIUM  STATISTICS 


309 


Don  Giovannf May       6 

Walkuere May       9 

Iolanthe Sept.    15 

Trial  by  Jury      Sept.    18 

Patience Sept.    25 

Carmen May       4 

Bohemian  Girl May       6 

*Orpheus Nov.     11 

Dinorah Nov.     18 

Rigoletto Nov.    25 

Mignon Nov.    30 

Cavalleria  Rusticana Dec.       4 

Philemon  and  Baucis Dec.     26 

The  Basoche Jan.       2 

Marriage  of  Figaro March  14 

Hamlet  (fourth  act) March  27 

I  Pagliacci March  28 

♦Werther March  29 

♦Falstaff March  14 

Tristan  and  Isolde April    17 

Siegfried April    18 

Der  Freischiitz Nov     26 

Gotterdammerung      Nov.    27 

*La  Navarraise March  31 

*Mefistofele March    3 

♦Lettd March    8 

La  Boheme Feb.     13 

La  Favorita March  24 

♦Sigurd March  26 

*Manon March  27 

♦Esmeralda Dec.     31 

La  Tosca      April    24 

Magic  Flute April      3 

♦Manru April      5 

Rheingold April      7 

Daughter  of  the  Regiment    .    .    .  April      7 

Don  Pasquale April    16 

The  Prophet April    17 

The  Elixir  of  Love March  23 

The  Gondoliers Jan.     25 

Parsifal March  21 

La  Gioconda March  24 

Fledermaus March  27 

♦Hansel  and  Gretel April      4 

Madame  Butterfly      April    10 

Robin  Hood March  23 

Serenade      April  ,12 

♦Iris      April    25 


1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1890 
1891 
1891 
1891 
1891 
1891 
1891 
1891 
1892 
1893 
1894 
1894 
1894 
1894 
1895 
1895 
1895 
1895 
1895 
1896 
1897 
1897 
1899 
1899 
1900 
1900 
1900 
1901 
1902 
1902 
1902 
1903 
1903 
1903 
1904 
1905 
1905 
1905 
1905 
1906 
1907 
1908 
1908 
1908 


9 
13 
4 
16 
4 
37 
16 
1 
1 
9 
7 
27 
6 
3 
6 
1 
13 
1 
2 
8 
10 
1 
4 
3 
1 
2 
3 
1 
1 
2 
1 
4 
4 
1 
1 
1 
3 
1 
1 
1 
2 
3 
1 
2 
1 
20 
10 
1 


An  analysis  of  these  statistics  has  a  direct  bearing 
upon  a  vexed  question.     There  has  been  much  complaint 


310  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

of  late  because  managers  repeat  old  operas,  espe- 
cially "  Faust,"  "  Carmen,"  "  Cavalleria  Rusticana," 
"Huguenots,"  "Aida,"  and  "Trovatore,"  and  neglect 
new  works.  The  above  table  seems  to  furnish  adequate 
explanation  of  their  policy.  It  will  be  conceded  that 
managers  are  not  presenting  operas  from  sentimental  or 
educational  motives.  Their  object  is  purely  commercial. 
They  find  out  what  the  public  wants  and  will  pay  for. 
They  would  just  as  cheerfully  produce  new  operas  as 
old  ones  if  the  public  desired  them.  They  cost  but  little 
more.  The  salary  list  remains  the  same.  The  prin- 
cipals furnish  their  own  costumes.  Any  old  costumes 
will  do  for  the  chorus  people  and  supernumeraries.  The 
difference  in  the  cost  of  producing  new  and  old  operas 
would  not  be  considered  if  the  public  were  clamoring 
for  the  former.  Now,  what  does  the  table  show  ?  The 
operas  most  frequently  performed  have  been  the  six 
against  which  certain  people  have  so  stoutly  protested. 
They  have  been  the  "  best  sellers,"  the  money-makers. 
Of  the  eighteen  new  ones  given  in  the  Auditorium 
ten  failed  to  pay  expenses,  and  the  other  seven  hardly 
warranted  more  than  one  or  two  presentations.  Appar- 
ently, then,  it  is  the  fault  of  the  public,  and  not  of  the 
manager,  that  old  operas  are  given  so  frequently.  This 
is  not  encouraging  from  the  art  point  of  view,  but  so 
long  as  opera  is  dominated  by  fashion  and  society  there 
is  little  hope  of  change.  Beethoven  is  the  greatest 
master  of  all  times,  and  yet  his  "  Fidelio  "  has  been 
given  but  twice  in  nineteen  years  at  the  Auditorium. 
Massenet  and  Saint-Saens  are  the  greatest  of  contem- 
porary French   composers,  and  their  operas  were  not 


AUDITORIUM  ASSOCIATION  311 

wanted  a  second  time.  Paderewski  is  the  most  eminent 
of  living  pianists.  His  opera,  "  Manru,"  was  given  once 
to  a  handful  of  people.  But  "  Faust "  and  "  Huguenots  " 
and  "  Carmen "  go  on  like  the  brook,  and  apparently, 
like  the  brook,  may  go  on  forever. 

The  Auditorium  was  also  the  home  of  the  Theodore 
Thomas  orchestra  from  its  first  concert  in  1893  until  it 
dedicated  its  own  hall,  December  14,  1904,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  Apollo  Club  and  Mendelssohn  Club, 
and  many  there  are  who  still  look  longingly  back  to 
the  old  home  place.  It  was  also  the  home  of  the  Apollo 
Club  from  the  time  of  its  opening  until  the  season  of 
1907-1908.  The  Apollo  Club  has  been  a  hall-opener 
on  many  occasions.  It  christened  Standard  Hall  in 
1872,  Kingsbury  Hall  in  1873,  McCormick  Hall  in  the 
same  year,  and  assisted  in  the  opening  of  the  Auditorium 
in  1889,  and  Orchestra  Hall  in  1904.  The  Auditorium 
has  also  been  used  for  the  brilliant  charity  balls,  great 
political  meetings  and  conventions,  concerts,  spectacles, 
social  entertainments,  church  services,  and  the  drama. 

Mr.  Milward  Adams  has  been  its  manager  from  the  be- 
ginning, and  to  his  able  administration  of  its  affairs  is  due 
its  success.  He  came  to  the  Auditorium  amply  equipped 
for  his  work.  His  active  participation  in  the  musical 
events  of  Chicago  began  in  1871,  immediately  after  the 
great  fire,  in  association  with  Mr.  George  B.  Carpenter. 
Not  long  after  Mr.  Carpenter's  death  he  took  charge  of 
the  Central  Music  Hall,  and  also  managed  the  never- 
to-be  forgotten  Summer  Garden  concerts  given  by  Mr. 
Thomas  in  the  old  Exposition  Building  on  the  Lake 
Front.     He  was  also  Mr.  Thomas's  business  agent  for 


312  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

twelve  years  on  the  road.  He  managed  the  brilliant 
Mapleson  operatic  festival,  and  the  two  great  festivals 
of  1882  and  1884.  In  1889  he  undertook  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Auditorium,  and  is  still  at  his  desk,  nearing 
the  twentieth  year  of  his  service.  He  has  been  con- 
nected with  all  the  great  musical  enterprises  of  Chicago 
for  thirty-seven  years ;  and,  as  I  have  been  on  terms  of 
intimacy  with  him  during  that  period,  I  know  whereof 
I  speak  when  I  claim  for  him  a  leading  position  in  the 
advancement  of  music  and  art  in  Chicago.  An  honest, 
intelligent,  fearless,  energetic,  and  resolute  manager  is 
an  indispensable  factor  in  the  problem  of  the  success  of 
any  scheme,  and  such  Mr.  Adams  has  always  proved 
himself.  Without  such  a  promoter  behind  it,  to  coun- 
sel and  control,  the  highest  artistic  endeavor  may  fail. 
"Whatever  Mr.  Adams  has  undertaken  has  succeeded, 
and,  as  nearly  all  that  he  has  undertaken  has  assisted 
in  Chicago's  artistic  advancement,  Chicago  owes  him  a 
debt  of  gratitude. 

The  Studebaker  Theatre  is  the  home  of  English  opera 
in  Chicago,  though  the  so-called  grand  operas  have 
frequently  been  presented  upon  its  stage.  It  is  but  one 
feature  of  the  Fine  Arts  Building,  and  the  Fine  Arts 
Building  is  the  accomplishment  of  Mr.  Charles  C.  Cur- 
tiss.  It  is  a  hive  of  busy  workers  in  music,  painting, 
sculpture,  literature,  and  the  arts  and  crafts.  Its  various 
cells  house  the  theatre,  the  music  hall,  the  assembly  hall, 
the  Amateur  Musical  Club,  the  Fortnightly  Club,  the 
Caxton  Club, "  The  Dial,"  the  only  high-class  literary  pe- 
riodical in  the  country,  and  many  other  associations  of 


A  REAL  HOUSE  OF  CULTURE  313 

an  artistic  character,  and  the  studios  of  a  small  army 
of  busy  workers  in  beautiful  things.  Mr.  Curtiss's  busi- 
ness experiences  fitted  him  to  undertake  a  project  of 
this  kind,  and  his  executive  ability,  refined  taste,  and 
artistic  instincts  have  made  it  a  success.  He  is  a 
native  of  Chicago,  and  his  father  was  twice  mayor  of 
the  city  in  its  early  days.  His  whole  life  has  been 
identified  with  music.  He  began  his  business  career 
as  a  clerk  in  the  house  of  Lyon  and  Healy,  and  re- 
signed that  position  to  become  manager  of  the  Root 
and  Sons  Music  Company.  Subsequently  he  became 
identified  with  a  prominent  piano  house,  and  during 
his  administration  as  manager  and  president  of  the 
company,  he  built  a  music  hall  in  connection  with  his 
business.  It  was  this  hall  which  suggested  to  him 
the  idea  of  constructing  a  building  which  should  at- 
tract the  literary  and  artistic  workers  of  the  city, 
making  for  them  an  abiding  home,  and  confining  it 
strictly  to  the  uses  for  which  the  building  was  in- 
tended. Thus  from  roof  to  basement  it  is  filled  with 
what  is  somewhat  tritely  called  "the  good,  the  true, 
and  the  beautiful,"  and  no  sordid  or  unclean  things 
are  allowed  entrance.  Though  not  a  musician  himself, 
Mr.  Curtiss  is  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the 
Apollo  Club,  and  was  its  first  secretary.  His  whole 
life  has  been  spent  in  the  advancement  of  art  in  Chi- 
cago, and  he  has  had  the  satisfaction  of  living  to 
witness  the  rich  fruition  of  his  lofty  ideals  and  to 
enjoy  the  rewards  of  his  honorable  struggle  in  the 
attachment  of  a  host  of  friends  and  the  success  of 
his  undertaking. 


314  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

The  Studebaker  Theatre  was  dedicated  September  29, 
1895,  as  the  Studebaker  Hall,  and  was  opened  as  a 
theatre  in  the  first  week  of  April,  1899,  by  the 
Castle  Square  Opera  Company  with  a  performance  of 
"  Faust."  As  in  the  case  of  the  Auditorium,  "  Faust," 
"  Trovatore,"  and  "  Carmen "  head  the  list  of  grand 
operas  in  the  number  of  performances,  but  for  some 
curious  reason  the  Studebaker's  patrons  do  not  care 
much  for  the  tragic  wooing  of  Valentine  and  Raoul, 
or  the  heroism  of  Marcel,  as  the  "  Huguenots "  has 
had  but  a  single  hearing.  Perhaps  they  have  become 
too  accustomed  to  the  bright  and  cheery  Studebaker 
repertory  to  be  harrowed  by  the  horrors  of  Saint 
Bartholomew's  Eve.  Since  1899,  eighty-eight  differ- 
ent works  of  a  musical  character  have  been  performed 
in  the  theatre,  besides  a  large  number  of  dramas  and 
many  concerts.  These  eighty-eight  works  may  be 
grouped  as  follows  :  Grand  operas,  28  ;  light  operas,  40 ; 
musical  comedies,  20 ;  and  all  in  English.  The  fol- 
lowing is  a  list  of  the  operas  usually  classed  as  grand, 
with  the  number  of  performances  of  each : 

Faust,  11  times ;  Carmen,  11 ;  II  Trovatore,  10 ;  Martha,  9 ; 
Aida,  7  ;  Lohengrin,  6 ;  Cavalleria  Rusticana,  5 ;  Romeo  and 
Juliet,  4 ;  Lucia,  4 ;  Tannhauser,  4 :  La  Tosca,  4 ;  Othello,  3 ; 
Mignon,  3 :  Fra  Diavolo,  2 ;  La  Boheme,  2 ;  I  Pagliacci,  2 ; 
Rigoletto,  Sonnambula,  Der  Freischiitz,  Traviata,  Flying 
Dutchman,  Gioconda,  Don  Giovanni,  and  Huguenots,  1  each. 

The  light  operas  which  have  been  given  are  as 
follows : 

Bohemian  Girl,  8  times ;  Mikado,  6 ;  Chimes  of  Nor- 
mandy, 4 ;  Erminie,  3 ;   Tarantella,  3 ;    Beggar  Student,  3 ; 


THE  STUDEBAKER  315 

El  Capitan,  3 ;  Wedding  Day,  2 ;  Don  Pasquale,  2 ;  Pirates 
of  Penzance,  2 ;  Boccaccio,  2  ;  Queen's  Lace  Handkerchief,  2 ; 
Pinafore,  2 ;  Gipsy  Baron,  Trial  by  Jury,  Daughter  of  the 
Regiment,  The  Gondoliers,  Iolanthe,  Maritana,  Fledermaus, 
Lily  of  Killarney,  Pygmalion  and  Galatea,  Black  Huzzar, 
Nanon,  Mascot,  Billee  Taylor,  Trip  to  Africa,  GiroAe*  Girofla, 
Little  Tycoon,  The  Brigands,  Merry  Monarch,  Lady  Slavey, 
Rob  Roy,  Prince  Bonnie,  Olivette,  Patience,  Wizard  of  the 
Nile,  and  Falka,  1  each. 

The  vogue  of  the  musical  comedy  is  clearly  indi- 
cated by  the  number  of  performances  of  these  extrava- 
ganzas, which  are  "neither  musical  fish,  flesh,  nor 
good  red  herring."     The  list  is  as  follows: 

King  Dodo,  232  times ;  Prince  of  Pilsen,  184 ;  Peggy  from 
Paris,  120;  Sultan  of  Sulu,  101;  Shogun,  96;  Woodland,  74; 
Girl  and  Bandit,  72 ;  Yankee  Consul,  56  ;  Mayor  of  Tokio,  56  ; 
Student  King,  48  ;  Flower  Girl,  48 ;  Cingalee,  40 ;  The  Other 
GirL  40 ;  The  Hoyden,  40 ;  Rose  of  the  Alhambra,  32 ;  Two 
Little  Girls,  32 ;  Miss  Pocahontas,  32 ;  Man  from  Now,  24 ; 
Yankee  Tourist,  24 ;  The  Winning  Girl,  16  ;  Ten  Girls,  Isle 
of  Champagne,  Tar  and  Tartar,  Petticoats  and  Bayonets,  and 
Ping  Pong,  1  each. 

The  Auditorium  is  the  home  of  grand  opera  in 
Italian,  French,  and  German.  The  Studebaker  is  the 
home  of  opera  given  in  English.  Other  theatres  have 
occasional  performances  of  opera,  but  they  are  princi- 
pally devoted  to  the  drama.  The  brilliant  manner  in 
which  operas  have  been  produced  in  the  Studebaker 
again  suggests  the  possibility  that  the  strong  belief  of 
Theodore  Thomas  and  Anton  Seidl  in  the  practical 
success  of  operas  given  in  English  may  yet  be  realized 
upon  a  larger  and  more  comprehensive  style  than 
either   of    these    great    conductors    imagined.      It    is 


316  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

well  known  that  Seidl  was  contemplating  such  a 
scheme,  but  it  was  interrupted  by  his  untimely  death. 
Theodore  Thomas  in  his  American  opera  season  dem- 
onstrated that  it  was  practical  from  the  musical  point 
of  view.  That  his  scheme  failed,  was  due  to  business 
management  for  which  he  was  in  no  way  responsible. 
That  it  is  feasible,  Mr.  Savage  has  also  shown  upon 
the  Studebaker  stage,  and  that  American  singers  may 
cope  with  foreign  singers  in  works  of  the  highest 
class  he  has  also  demonstrated  by  his  remarkable  pro- 
duction of  "  Parsifal "  on  the  stage  of  the  Illinois 
Theatre. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

POSTLUDE 

I  HAVE  now  perhaps  sufficiently  recorded  in  these 
"  Memories"  what  the  pioneers  of  music  in  Chicago, 
those  who  have  borne  "the  burden  and  heat"  in 
preparing  the  way  for  its  development,  have  done  for 
the  art,  as  well  as  the  important  service  which  has  been 
rendered  by  the  great  artists  who  have  visited  us. 
Among  these  pioneers  I  would  assign  a  leading  position 
to  Julius  Dyhrenfurth,  George  Davis,  Frank  and  Jules 
G.  Lumbard,  John  Hubbard,  John  G.  Shortall,  Edward 
S.  Stickney,  Edward  I.  Tinkham,  John  V.  Le  Moyne, 
Otto  Matz,  Henry  Ahner,  Canon  Knowles,  Charles  C. 
Curtiss,  Edward  G.  Newell,  Charles  W.  Hamill,  Philo  A. 
Otis,  Adolph  W.  Dohn,  Theodore  Thomas,  Hans  Balatka, 
Carl  Wolfsohn,  George  F.  Root,  William  Lewis,  William 
L.  Tomlins,  Fritz  Foltz,  Frederick  Grant  Gleason, 
Heman  F.  Allen,  Silas  G.  Pratt,  C.  M.  Cady,  Carl  E.  R. 
Mueller,  George  B.  Carpenter,  H.  Clarence  Eddy,  and 
Dudley  Buck.  It  would  be  pleasant  also  to  dwell  upon 
the  important  services  still  being  rendered  to  the  cause 
of  music  in  Chicago  by  such  trained  and  active  workers 
as  Dr.  Florence  Ziegfeld,  Louis  Falk,  John  J.  Hatt- 
staedt,  William  S.  B.  Matthews,  Emil  Liebling,  Freder- 
ick W.  Root,  Henry  S.  Perkins,  Adolph  Rosenbecker, 


318  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

William  H.  Sherwood,  Harrison  Wild,  Bernhard  Ziehn, 
William  Castle,  Frank  T.  Baird,  Arthur  Dunham, 
Clarence  Dickinson,  Wilhelm  Middelschulte,  Clayton  F. 
Summy,  Frederick  J.  Wessells,  and  Frederick  Stock. 
These,  however,  still  have  their  shoulders  to  the  wheel. 
Some  of  them  are  growing  gray  in  the  service,  but  they 
are  still  actively  at  work.  They  belong  to  the  present, 
with  which  memory  has  no  concern. 

With  those  who  have  passed  away  and  with  those 
who  have  retired  I  have  been  somewhat  closely  asso- 
ciated, and  it  has  been  pleasant  to  live  over  the  days 
when  "  Music,  heavenly  maid,  was  young."  It  is 
none  the  less  pleasant,  however,  to  be  "a  looker-on  in 
Venice  "  and  watch  the  work  of  the  toilers  to-day,  than 
it  is  to  recall  the  work  of  the  toilers  of  yesterday.  As 
I  sit  by  contented  with  this  congenial  task,  I  reflect 
that  fifty  years  from  now  some  chronicler  may  tell  the 
story  of  another  half-century,  and  thus  preserve  the 
century's  history  of  music  in  Chicago  and  perhaps  re- 
cord results  more  marvellous  than  any  one  can  now 
conceive. 

In  these  "  Memories  "  my  readers  have  been  made 
acquainted  with  all  the  great  artists  who  have  visited 
Chicago  and  some  who  have  not,  with  their  triumphs  and 
failures,  their  habits,  peculiarities,  jealousies,  and  quar- 
rels, for  artists  are  human,  sometimes  very  human. 
They  have  also  been  told  the  story  of  music  in  Chicago 
from  its  humble  beginnings,  more  than  seventy  years 
ago,  wellnigh  to  the  present  time.  If  I  have  written 
enthusiastically  about  the  past,  it  is  because  I  belong  to 
it  and  have  been  closely  associated  with  its  musical 


POSTLUDE  319 

accomplishments.  It  has  been  a  labor  of  love  for  me 
to  tell  the  story,  though  nearly  "all,  all  are  gone,  the 
old  familiar  faces."  I  am  not  one  of  those,  however, 
who  believe  the  old  times  were  the  best  times  or  that 
all  the  giants  lived  in  those  days.  There  have  been 
brave  soldiers  since  Agamemnon  as  well  as  before. 
But  I  do  firmly  believe  that  the  labor  of  these  pioneers 
has  made  it  easier  for  those  who  have  followed  them. 
They  broke  the  ground  and  planted  the  seed.  The 
work  was  rough  and  hard,  and  sometimes  discouraging, 
and  some  did  not  live  to  reap  any  reward  for  their  sow- 
ing, but  passed  away  disappointed.  Others  have  lived 
to  see  Chicago  become  a  great  musical  centre.  To  the 
rising  generation  most  of  the  artists  mentioned  in  these 
"  Memories  "  may  not  be  more  than  the  shadow  of  a 
name,  but  they  have  played  an  important  part  in  the 
city's  musical  history.  To  those  of  the  older  generation 
their  names  will  recall  old  associations,  youthful  enthu- 
siasms, and  delightful  recollections.  But  the  past  is 
past  and  the  future  is  yet  to  be  seen.  The  days  which 
we  reach,  crowned  with  fruition,  are  no  more  pleasing 
than  those  with  bright  prospects  in  view.  I  make  no 
doubt  there  will  be  other  Pattis  and  Parepas,  Marios 
and  Brignolis,  Richters  and  Thomases,  that  great 
operas  and  oratorios  will  be  written,  and  that  great 
symphonies  will  be  produced  worthy  to  rank  with  the 
immortal  ones  of  Beethoven  and  Mozart,  for  the  ways 
of  the  gods  are  full  of  providence,  and  that  the  musical 
future  of  Chicago  will  be  greater  than  its  past  or 
present,  notwithstanding  its  increasing  materialism  and 
commercialism. 


320  MUSICAL  MEMORIES 

In  recalling  the  events  of  this  long  period  I  feel  that 
I  have  been  fortunate  to  have  been  permitted  so  many 
years  of  enjoyment  and  am  glad  that  I  can  appreciate 
what  is  now  being  done  for  the  advancement  of  music. 
I  hope  also  to  live  many  years  yet,  to  witness  the 
great  strides  which  music  may  make,  for,  like  Andrew 
Carnegie,  "  I  am  not  hankering  for  heaven."  So  I  am 
thankful  for  the  present  with  its  accomplishments  and 
the  future  with  its  promises,  and  yet  as  I  lay  down  the 
pen  and  cast  a  longing  look  backward,  once  more  the 
refrain  of  the  old,  old  song  haunts  me : 

"  Ah  !  the  days  when  we  went  gypsy ing, 
A  long  time  ago." 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Abbey,  40,  170,  171 

Abbey,  Grau,  and  Schoeffel  opera 
troupe,  306,  307 

Abbey  Troupe,  252 

Abbott,  Emma,  117,  150 

"Abbott  kiss,"  117 

Abell,  G.  P.,  258 

Abelli,  barytone,  233 

Abilene-Salina  (Kans.)  Chorus,  297 

Abt,  Franz,  200,  204 

Academy  of  Music,  New  York,  165 

Adams,  Charles  R.,  130,  233,  266 

Maude,  150 

Milward,  311,  312 

Admission,  first  time  charged  in 
Chicago,  213 

Advertisement  of  "Jenny  Lind 
shawls,"  21,  22;  of  Wachtel,  128; 
of  the  Campanalogians  and  of 
Spalding,  Rogers,  and  Hanlon's 
Circus,  129;  of  Mr.  Bowers's  en- 
tertainment, Chicago,  1834,  213, 
214;  of  Sig.  Martinez'  concert, 
221 

"Africaine,  L',"  93,  109,  165,  178, 
242,  243,  308 

"Ah!  fors  e  lui,"  from  "Traviata," 
39 

"Ah!  non  giunge,"  from  "Sonnam- 
bula,"  35,  39 

Ahner,  Henry,  50,  54,  260,  261,  271, 
317 

"Aida,"  104,  107,  125,  178,  251,  308, 
310,314 

Aiken's  Theatre,  79 

Aim£e,  154,  170,  172 

Alaimo,  Caroline,  231 

Albani,  117,  175,  251,  307.  See  also 
Lajeunesse,  Mile.,  and  Gye,  Mme. 

Albani's  (Mme.)  troupe,  227 

Albions,  musical  family,  223 

Alboni,  Marietta  (Countess  Pepoli), 
26,  29,  30,  33,  43 

Albrecht,  54 

"All  we  like  Sheep  have  gone  astray," 
202 


Alleghanians,  minstrel  troupe,  223 
Allen,  Heman  F.,  317 

William  R.,  287 

Allerton,  Samuel,  306 
"Allmacht,"  Schubert,  290 
Amateur  Musical  Club,  312 
Ambre,  118,  252 
"America,"  296,  304,  306 
American  Opera  Company,  190 
American  Opera  Troupe,  133,  252 
American  Union  of  Swedish  Singers, 

297 
Amici,  clarinet,  181 
Amodio,  131,  165,  234,  235 

,  the  elder,  229 

Alvary,  130,  268 

"Always  More,"  Seifert,  289 

Anastasi,  Sig.,  242 

Andersen,  Vigo,  298 

"Angel's  Serenade,"  116 

Announcements,     managerial,     128, 

129 
Anschutz,  Carl,  142,  181 
Antonucci,  246,  247 
Anvil  Chorus,  199 
Apollo  Club  of  Boston,  286 
Apollo  Musical  Club  of  Chicago,  267, 

274,  286-293,  297,  299,  305,  311, 

313 
Appel,  Jennie,  247 
Aptommas,  M.,  298 
Arbuckle,  cornetist,  196,  199,  246 
Arditi,  145,  178,  227,  307 
"Arkansas  Traveller,  The,"  66,  92 
Arlington's  Minstrels,  285 
Arnold,  with  Durand  troupe,  136 

Richard,  298 

Arnoldi,  double  bass,  181 

tenor,  227 

Arthur,  Alfred,  297 

Arthurson,  tenor,  50 

"Artists'  Association,  The,"  227 

Artists'  Fund,  174 

"Artist's  Life,"  Johann  Strauss,  202 

Astor  Place  Opera  House.  47, 161, 165 

Auber,  27,  31 


324 


INDEX 


Auditorium,  Chicago,  41,  43,  44, 
236,  251,  252,  294,  305-312,  314, 
315 

Autographs,  144,  204,  205 

"Ave  Maria,"  Gounod,  199 

Bach's  Mass  in  B  Minor,  207 

Bach's  Suite  in  B  Minor,  207 

"Bacio,  II,"  142 

Badiali,  barytone,  28 

Baird,  Frank  T.,  318 

Baker  Family,  223 

Balatka,  Hans,  234,    262-268,    273- 

278,  284,  317 
Baldwin,  S.  A.,  297 
"Ballo    en    Maschera,   Un"    ("The 

Masked    Ball"),   234,    239,    243, 

247,  308 
"Bamboula,"  Gottschalk,  76 
Band,  first  in  Chicago,  219 
Bandini,  Lavinia,  112 
Banfi,  246 

"Banjo,"  Gottschalk,  77 
Banks,  General,  195 
Banti,  basso,  231 
Banyon,  Justice,  156,  157 
Baragli,  Signor,  246 
"BarbeBleue,"  153 
"Barber  of  Bagdad,  The,"  308 
"Barber  of  Seville,  The,"  42,  136, 

229,  235,  308 
Barili,  34,  235,  246 

-. Antonio,  34,  48 

Ettore,  229 

Barili-Patti,      Catarina       (Catarina 

Chiesa),  34,  35,  37 
Barnabee,  146,  149 
Barnabee  concert  troupe,  146,  286 
Barnum,  P.  T.,  18,  19,  32,  36,  49,  219 
Barry,  Flora  E.,  148 
Bartlett,  Jessie,  149,  150.     See  also 

Davis,  Jessie  Bartlett 
Bartoli,  bassoon,  181 
"Basoche,  The,"  309 
Bassos  in  grand  opera,  120,  121,  131 
Bateman  children,  22 
Bateman  concerts,  242 
Bateman,  H.  L.,  142,  246 
Bates,  George  C,  239 
V Battle  Cry  of  Freedom,  The,"  Root, 

232,  302,  303 
J'Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic,  The," 

201 
"Battle  March,"  Brignoli,  92,  124 
"Battle  of  Prague,"  212 
Bauermeister,  Mile.,  306 
Baumbach,  Adolf,  266 
Beach,  Mrs.  H.  H.  A.,  296 


"Beatrice  di  Tenda,"  47 

Beaubien,  Jean  Baptiste,  212 

Mark,    Chicago's  early  fiddler, 

211,  212 
Beauplan     New     Orleans     Troupe, 

252 
Becker,  Paul,  240,  264,  266,  275 
"Bedelia,"  148 
Beebe,  Mrs.  May,  149 
Beecher,  Lyman,  220  i 

"Beer  criticism,"  82 
Beethoven,  27,  77,  79,  82,  191,  192, 

310 
Beethoven    Society,    Chicago,    267, 

291-293 
Beethoven's  bust  in  Lincoln  Park, 

Chicago,  291 
Beethoven's  concerto,  250 
Beethoven's  Eighth  symphony,  207 
Beethoven's    Fifth  symphony,  209, 

250,  266,  298 
Beethoven's  Mass  in  C,  292 
Beethoven's  Mass  in  D  Major,  207 
Beethoven's  Ninth  symphony,  186, 

207,  209,  267 
Beethoven's  Second  symphony,  53, 

263 
Beethoven's  Seventh  symphony,  298 
Beethoven's  Sixth  symphony,  268 
Beethoven's  Third  symphony,  209, 

250,  298 
Beethoven's  Trio,  op.  19,  289 
Beethoven's  trio  in  G,  op.  1,  no.  2, 

for  violins,  275 
"Beggar  Student,  The,"  314 
Behrens,  Conrad,  298 

Mile.,  soprano,  239 

pianist,  76 

S.,  139 

Beletti,  barytone,  18 
Bell,  Digby,  148,  150 

Rose,  153 

"Belle  Helene,  La,"  Offenbach,  152, 

158 
Bellini,  131,  238-240,  246 
Bendel,  Franz,  200,  204,  205 
Bendix,  Max,  298,  299 
Benedetti,  161 
Benedict,  Sir  Julius,  18,  24 
Benitz,  John,  148 
Bennett,  William  Sterndale,  275 
Benzing,  Jacob,  267 
Benzinger,  Carrie,  298 
"Berceuse,"  Gottschalk,  76 
Berger,  221 
Bergmann,    Carl,    52-55,    181,    184, 

185.  239,  246,  258,  259 
Bergstein,  Carl,  290 


INDEX 


325 


Berlioz,  19,  27,  164,  166,  192 
Berlioz's  Hymn,  op.  26,  208 
Berlioz's  "Requiem,"  299 
Bernard,  249 
Mrs.  (Caroline  Richings),  140, 

247 

Pierre,  246 

Bernhardt,  170 

Bernstein,  violinist,  181 

Besig,  violinist,  181 

"Beware,"  Gerschner,  289 

Bialetto,  178 

Bichel,  violinist,  275 

Bieletto,  Signor,  307 

"Billee  Taylor,"  315 

Biography  of  Theodore  Thomas,  187 

Birmingham  festivals,  133 

Bischoff,  Alexander,  88,  266,   277, 

284,  289 
Bishop,  Anne,  27,  112-114,  223 

Sir  Henry,  112 

Bismarck,  94 

Bizet,  101 

"Black  Crook,  The,"  155,  249 

"Black  Domino,  The,"  142 

"Black-Eyed  Susan,"  220 

"Black  Huzzar,  The,"  315 

Blakely,  Mrs.  C,  271 

Blakely  family,  223 

Blauvelt,  Lilian,  298 

"Blind  Tom,"  85 

Bliss,  P.  P.,  303 

Blisse,  C,  214 

Blitz,  Signor,  223 

"  Blue  Danube,"  Johann  Strauss,  202 

Blumenschein,  W.  L.,  297 

Board  of  Lady  Managers,  Columbian 

Exposition,  296 
Bob  Acres,  Jefferson  as,  217 
"Boccaccio,"  315 
Bochsa,  harpist,  112 
Bode,  B.  August,  220,  255 
"Boheme,  La,"  309,  314 
"Bohemian    Girl,    The,"    137,    139, 

140,  145,  146,  231,  232,  309,  314 
Boieldieu,  27 
Boone,  Dr.  Levi  D.,  273 
Booth,  221 
Bordoni,  169 
Borrani,  barytone,  135 
Boschetti,  Leonilda,  242 
Boston    Grand    Equestrian    Arena, 

The,  216 
Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  Society, 

54,  223,  284 
Boston  Ideals,  149 
Boston  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club, 

54,  71,  243 


Boston  Symphony  Orchestra,   268, 

296 
Boston  Tea  Party,  survivor  of,  222 
Bostonians,  The,  146,  147,  149 
Bostwick,   Emma   Gillingham,   234, 

266 
Botsford,  flutist,  220 
Bouchsland,  228 

"Bouquet  of  Artists,"  Gilmore's,  200 
Bowen,  Frank  A.,  149,  287-289 
Bowers,  Mr.,  213,  214 
Bowler,  Annie  Kemp,  139 
Brookhouse,  136,  137,  139, 142, 

231 
Boyd,  Mrs.  Gaston,  297 
Boyle's,  Billy,  Chicago,  254 
Boynton,  W.  W.,  287 
Bradbury,  300 
Braga,  116 
Braham,  301 

Brahms's  Fourth  symphony,  298 
Brahms's  "German  Requiem,"  299 
Brahms's  Rhapsodie,  208 
Brandini,  Sig.,  242 
Brandt,  252 
Brausen,  tenor,  61 
Brienti,  Elise,  225 
"Brigands,  The,"  315 
Briggs  House  Concerts,  Chicago,  264 
Brignoli,  36,  48,  49,  67,  87,  92,  100, 

121-125,  142,  145,  162,  165,  172, 

175,  229,  230,  232,  233,  235,  243, 

247 
"Britannia,  the  Pride  of  the  Ocean," 

304 
British  Blondes,  155-157 
Brodsky,  Adolph,  298 
Brooklyn  Arion  Society,  297 
Brooks,  William,  from  London,  212 

Mrs.  William,  212 

Brown,  Edwin,  287 

family  of  Providence,  23 

Hattie,  231 

Imogene,  88 

J.  H.,  274 

Theodore  F.,  287,  290 

W.  H.,  215 

Bruckner's    Unfinished    Symphony, 

208 
"Briinnen  Wunderbaa,"  Abt,  267 
Bryan  Hall,  Chicago,  196,  234,  262, 

263 
Bryant,  Jerry,  138 
Buck,  Dudley,  130,  277,  317 
Buckley,  Helen,  298 

Mr.,  museum  manager,  222 

Buderbach,  William,  violinist,  257, 

264,  266 


326 


INDEX 


Bull,  Ole,  35,  38,  39,  47,  57-64,  73, 
180,  198,  221,  222 

Burdell,  Nicholas,  219 

Bureau  of  Music,  Columbian  Expo- 
sition, 295 

Burke,  Joseph,  221 

Burley,  A.  G.,  220 

A.  H.,  220 

&  Co.'s  bookstore,  Chicago,  255 

Burlington  Hall,  Chicago,  286 

Burmeister,  Mile.,  119,  131 

Burtis,  Sergeant,  of  Fort  Dearborn, 
Chicago,  213 

Bushnell,  Ericksen  F.,  298 

Butterfield,  J.  A.,  284 

J.  M.,  196 

"Butterfly,  Madame,"  309 

"By  Babylon's  Wave,"  Gounod,  291 

Cadt,  C.  M.,  271,  302,  317 
Calumet  old  settlers'  club,  212 
Calve\  170 

"Camp  in  Silesia,"  Meyerbeer,  18 
Campanalogians,  The,  129 
Campanini,  Italo,  40,  107,  125-127, 

130,  175,  208,  251 
Campanologians,     minstrel     troupe, 

223 
Campbell,  S.  C,  138,  139,  246,  266 
Candidus,  William,  61,  130,  208,  267 
Canissa,  alto,  128,  236,  242,  243 
"Capitan,  El,"  315 
Capoul,  40,  126,  127,  130,  170,  175, 

251 
Caracciolo,  178 
Cardinali,  178 
Carl,  organist,  299 
Carleton,  106 

Carleton  Opera  Company,  147 
Carlo,  flutist,  199 
"Carmen,"  101,  104,  125,  309-311, 

314 
"Carnival  of  Venice,"  Petrella,  39, 

243 
Carpenter,  George  B.,  311,  317 
Carreno,  69,  85,  86,  116,  127 
Carrington,  Abbie,  252 
Carter,  T.  B.,  215 
Caruso,  37 
Cary,  Annie  Louise,  23,  88,  104,  107- 

109,  127,  175,  208,  251,  267,  290 
"Casta  Diva"  from  !' Norma,"   18, 

142 
Castelmary,  basso,  131,  252,  307 
Castle  Garden,  New  York,  18 
Castle  Square  Opera  Company,  314 
Castle,  William,  106,  117,   138,  139, 

246,  266,  318 


Castri,  Pauline,  235,  266 

"Cataract  of  Niagara,"  Ole  Bull,  221 

"Cavalleria  Rusticana,"  309,  310, 
314 

Caxton  Club,  312 

Cayvan,  Georgie,  149 

Cedarstrom,  Baron  Rolf,  40 

Celli,  Mureo,  242,  266 

Cellini,  Rosa,  247 

Central  Music  Hall,  Chicago,  44,  311 

Central  Park  Garden  players,  under 
Theodore  Thomas,  181,  266 

Cernusco,  Signor,  307 

Cervantes,  Esmerald,  298 

Chad  wick,  George  W.,  296 

Chadwick's  Second  symphony,  298 

Chaliapine,  basso,  52 

Chamber  concerts,  first  in  Chicago, 
264 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  Chicago, 
ball  in,  197 

Chamberlain,  G.  W.,  290 

"Chambly  Girl  "  (Albani),  118 

"Champagne  Galop,"  257 

"Champagne  Song,"  Schroeter,  289 

Chanfrau's  "Mose,"  20 

Chapin  Building,  Chicago,  219 

Chapin,  Dr.,  Chicago,  117 

Charity  Balls,  Chicago,  196 

"Charm  has  departed,  The,"  219 

Chatterson,  John,  139 

Chaubert,  M.,  "celebrated  fire  king," 
213 

"Cherry  and  Fair  Star;  or,  The 
Children  of  Cyprus,"  217 

Cherubini,  27 

basso,  178 

Chicago,  and  Jenny  Lind,  21,  22 ;  the 
Pattis,  32,  34,  35,  37-45,  47,  48, 
50,  60,  74,  76,  98,  127,  162,  180, 
227,  233;  Ole  Bull,  38,  47,  60,  61, 
73,  124,  180;  Abbey-Maplcson 
competition,  40,  41 ;  Parodi,  50,  74 ; 
Italian  opera,  50,  121,  228;  Ger- 
mania  Society,  50-55, 83,  260,  263 ; 
Camilla  Urso,  53,  54,  71;  first 
symphony  performance,  53;  mu- 
sical criticism,  53,  54,  74,  256; 
Henry  Ahner,  54,  260,  261;  Carl 
Bergmann,  55,  258,  259;  coupon 
tickets  used  for  first  time,  61 ; 
Remenyi,  62;  Vieuxtemps  and 
Thalberg,  66,  73,  74;  Nilsson,  66, 
67,  87,  88,  91,  92;  Wilhelmj  and 
Carreno,  69,  127;  in  the  early 
fifties,  73,  74,  228;  Gottschalk,  76, 
233;  Rubinstein,  79;  Von  Biilow, 
82;  Joseffy,  83;  Anna  Mehlig,  83; 


INDEX 


327 


Wehli,  the  "left-hander,"  84; 
"Blind  Tom,"  85;  the  Great  Fire, 
61,  90,  127-129,  172,  196,  197,  237, 
250,  251,  270,  284-286,  311; 
Lucca,  93;  Gerster,  96,  98;  La- 
grange, 99;  Roze  and  Hauck, 
102,  103;  Cary,  107,  127;  Ma- 
terna,  109;  the  Lincoln  Park  Zoo 
and  Lilli  Lehmann,  110,  111; 
Anne  Bishop,  112;  Fabbri,  113; 
Frezzolini,  114;  Di  Murska,  116; 
Emma  Abbott,  117;  Albani,  117; 
Brignoli,  124;  Mario,  127;  Wach- 
tel,  128;  Charles  R.  Adams,  130; 
Castelmary,  131;  Carl  Formes, 
132;  English  opera,  135-137,  148- 
150;  prices  asked  for  seats,  136; 
Parepa,  142,  144;  clergymen,  144; 
Jessie  Bartlett  Davis,  147;  opera 
bouffe,  152-158;  managers,  160- 
162,  165,  168,  169,  178,  179; 
Mapleson's  operatic  festival,  178; 
Theodore  Thomas,  180,  181,  183, 
193,  266,  268,  269;  P.  S.  Gilmore, 
196,  197,  233;  Lincoln's  nomina- 
tion, 196,  212;  Emma  Thursby, 
196;  May  festivals  of  1882  and 
1884,  208,  209;  early  musical  and 
dramatic  events,  211-224;  ad- 
mission first  charged,  213;  first 
concert,  214;  first  music  teacher, 
214;  first  church  erected,  214; 
first  church  organ,  215;  first 
"ladies'  fair,"  216;  first  church- 
choir  row,  216;  first  circus,  216; 
first  theatre,  216;  first  play,  216; 
first  theatrical  spectacle,  217; 
ladies'  prejudice  against  theatre, 
218;  first  street  band,  219;  first 
museum,  219;  early  patriotism, 
220;  Richard  Hoffman,  221;  sing- 
ing families,  221,  223;  Joseph 
Jefferson,  217,  218;  J.  H.  Mc- 
Vicker,  221,  226,  228;  perform- 
ance of  dignified  music,  222-224; 
first  performance  of  opera,  225, 
226;  dress  in  1850,  225;  "The 
Artists'  Association,"  227;  opera 
season  of  1858,  228;  of  1859,  229, 
230;  Cooper  English  Opera 
Troupe,  230-232;  music  during 
war  period,  232-235,  300,  302,  303 ; 
opera  season  of  1865,  235,  236; 
Crosby  Opera  House,  236-251;  ri- 
sum€oi  operatic  events,  1872-1889, 
251,  252;  Ibach's  "Sharp  Corner," 
253;  Julius  Dyhrenfurth,  253- 
259,269,278,279;    Billy  Boyle's, 


254;  musical  societies  and  or- 
chestras, 255-278,  284-293  (see 
also  Chicago  and  Germania  Society, 
above);     Hans   Balatka,    262-267, 

273,  276,  277,  284;  first  chamber 
concerts,  264;    Adolph  W.  Dohn, 

274,  275,  288,  290 ;  Emil  Dietzsch, 
coroner,  279-282;  re'sumf  of  en- 
tertainments following  the  fire, 
285,  286;  World's  Fair  music, 
294-299;  George  F.  Root,  300- 
303;  dedication  of  Auditorium, 
305,  306;  r€sume  of  operas  pro- 
duced at  Auditorium,  307-309; 
Milward  Adams,  311,  312;  Stude- 
baker  Theatre,  312,  314,  315; 
Charles  C.  Curtiss,  313;  musical 
pioneers,  317;  story  of  local  mu- 
sic, 318,  319 

Chicago  Church  Choir  Pinafore  Com- 
pany, 147,  149 
Chicago  Columbian  Chorus,  297 
Chicago  fire,  see  under  Chicago 
"Chicago  Journal,"  53 
Chicago  Jubilee,  Gilmore's,  196,  197. 
"Chicago  Magazine,  The,"  214 
Chicago  May  festivals  of  1882  and 

1884,  208,  209 
Chicago  Musical  Union,  130,  271-274 
Chicago  Orchestral  Association,  268 
Chicago  Philharmonic  Society,  55,  71 
Chicago  Sacred  Music  Society,  219, 

270 
Chicago  Symphony  Society,  267 
Chicago  Theatre,  The,  217,  227 
"Chicago  Times,"  155-157 
"Chicago  Tribune,"  110,  255,  302 
"Chicago  Waltz,"  Lenssen,  256 
Chiesa,  Catarina,  34 
Child,  Lydia  Maria,  58 
"Child  of  Earth,"  ballad,  257 
"Chimes  of  Normandy,  The,"   146, 

314 
Chinese  suicide,   Coroner   Dietzsch's 

report  of,  281,  282 
"Ching  Chow  Hi,"  Offenbach,  153 
Choir,  first  in  Chicago,  215 
Chopin,  25 
Chopin  concerto,  250 
Chopin's  nocturne,  prelude,  mazurka, 

and  berceuse,  296 
Choral  Fantasie,  292 
Choral  Symphony,    Beethoven,  241, 

304 
Choral  Union,  Chicago,  220,  270 
Christmas     performance     of     "The 

Messiah,"  291 
Church,  first  in  Chicago,  214 


328 


INDEX 


Church  of  St.   Ansgarius,   Chicago, 

Jenny  Lind's  gift  to,  21 
Ciampi-Cellag,  barytone,  44 
"Cid,  Le,"  309 

Cincinnati  College  of  Music,  189,  190 
Cincinnati  Festival  Association,  297 
Cincinnati   festivals,    107,    186,    194, 

207-210,  241 
"Cinderella,"  246 
"Cingalee,"  315 
"Circassian  March,"  Johann  Strauss, 

203 
Circus,  first  in  Chicago,  216 
City  Hall  (Chicago)  concert,  222 
City  Saloon,  Chicago,  219 
Claasen,  Arthur,  297 
Clanwilliam,  Lord,  27 
"Clara,  Maid  of  Milan,"  Bishop,  137 
Clark,  Francis,  Chicago,  22 

R.  M.,  273 

Clarke,  J.  Abbie,  298 

Clary,  Mary  Louise,  298 

Classical     Chamber     Concerts,    Ba- 

latka's,  264 
Clements,  Edwin,  200 
Clergy,  their  tilts  with  Parepa,  143, 

144 
Cleveland,  S.  E.,  287 
Cleveland  Vocal  Society,  297 
Coe,  A.  L.,  271,  273 
Coerne,  organist,  299 
Coffin,  Warren  C,  287 
Colberg,  J.  W.,  297 
Coletti,  239,  242,  243 
"Collations,"  all  suppers  were,  197 
Colletti,  basso,  131,  227,  235,  239 
Collier,  C.  A.,  215,  219,  220,  270 
Collins,  Fannie  L.,  271 
Colson,  Pauline,  229,  230 
Colton,  Ernestine,  298 
" Columbia,  the  Gem  of  the  Ocean," 

304 
Columbian   Exposition   music,    184, 

188,  189,  294-300 
Columbians,  minstrel  troupe,  223 
Columbus  Arion  Club,  297 
"Columbus  Hymn  and  March,"  296 
"Coming  through  the  Rye,"  39 
Commercial  Building,  Chicago,  219 
Complimentary  ball,  expensive,  166 
"Concert  Fantasie,"  Tombell,  305 
Concert,  first  in  Chicago,  214 
Concertina,  223 

Concordia  Mannerchor,  276,  277 
"Congressional    Record"    enlivened 

by  Mayor  Harrison,  179 
Conkey,  Miss  Nellie  (Mrs.  Crosby), 

234,  273 


Conly,  106 

Conried  opera  troupe,  307,  308 

"Consecration  of  the  House,"  Bee- 
thoven, 296 

"Consecration  of  Solomon's  Tem- 
ple," Titl,  181,267,275 

Contralto,  operatic,  plight  of,  121 

Conway,  Hart,  148,  150 

Cook,  Aynesley,  136,  231 

Cooke,  Rosa,  138,  236 

Coolbaugh,  W.  F.,  245 

Coombs's  (Jane)  Company,  285 

Cooper  English  Opera  Troupe,  136, 
230,  231 

Cooper,  P.  J.  J.,  148 

Coquelin,  170 

Cordier,  Angiolina,  49,  233,  235 

"Coronation,"  201 

"Coroner's  Quest,"  Dietzsch's  annual 
report,  280-282 

"Cosi  fan  tutti,"  Mozart,  289 

Coulston,  William  H.,  287 

Count  de  la  Porte  of  Paris,  223 

Country  Wedding  Symphony,  Gold- 
mark,  268 

Coupon  tickets,  first  use  of,  in 
Chicago,  61 

"Court  Favors,"  137 

Court  House  Concert,  Chicago,  221 

Court  House  Square,  Chicago,  302 

Cowles,  basso,  146 

Cox,  William,  287,  290 

"  Cracovienne,  La,"  257 

Crane,  R.  T.,  306 

^'Creation,  The,"  Haydn,  88,  136, 
142,  209,272,284,  298 

Creswold,  organist,  147 

"Crispino  e  la  Comare,"  165, 242, 247 

Crosby,  Albert,  245,  249 

Mrs.  (nee  Conkey),  234,  235 

Uranus  H.,  237,  244,  245,  262 

Crosby  Opera  House,  Chicago,  84, 
152,  155,  196,  236-251 

"Crossing  of  the  Danube,  The,"  124 

"Crotchets  and  Quavers,"  Max  Ma- 
retzek,  166 

"Crown  Diamonds,"  31,  136 

Cummings,  C.  M.,  306 

Curtis,  George  William,  24,  58 

Curtiss,  Charles  C,  287,  312, 313,  317 

Cuzzoni,  169 

"Czar  and  Carpenter,"  Lortzing,  273 

"Dame  Blanche,  La,"  236 
Damrosch   and    Ellis   Combination, 

307 
Damrosch  German  Troupe,  252 
Damrosch  opera  troupe,  307 


INDEX 


329 


Damrosch,  Walter,  296 

D'Angri,  Mme.,  73-75 

Daniels,  Frank,  150 

D'Arval,  Orme,  298 

f  Daughter  of  the  Regiment,  The," 

136,  137,  232,  240,  309,  315 
Davidge,  William,  148,  150 
Davies,  Ben,  298 
Davis,  George,  212,  220,  223,  255, 

256,  317 

Jessie  Bartlett,  146,  147 

Dawes,  Gertrude,  22 

Dayton  Philharmonic  Society,  297 

Dean  and  McKenzie,  first  applicants 

for  theatrical  license  in  Chicago, 

216 
Dean,  Julia,  221 

trombone,  257 

De  Anna,  barytone,  178 

De  Belocca,  Anna,  252 

De  Beriot,  27 

De  Caux,  Marchioness,  46.    See  Patti, 

Adelina. 

Marquis,  40,  42 

De  Clerque,  Henri,  234,  264,  266 
De  Gebele,  Freda,  128,  236,  266 
De  Katow,  Helene,  239,  240 
DeKoven,  Reginald,  146 
De  Lagrange,   Anna,   99.     See  La- 
grange, Anna 
De  Lossy,   Henri,   Baron  de   Ville, 

40 
Del  Puente,  40,  88,  175,  251,  307 
De  Lucia,  131 
De  Lussan,  Zelie,  146 
Demarest,  Rubinstein,  297 
De  Meyer,  pianist,  83,  204 
De  Miranda,  Count,  92 
Dempster,  ballad-singer,  223 
De  Munek,  Ernest,  'cellist,  44 
De  Pasqualis,  barytone,  178 
De  Passio  (Louis  Dochez),  234,  260, 

266,  275 
De  Pelgrom,  Irma,  76,  266 
De  Reszke  brothers,  170 
De  Reszke,  Edouard,  120 
De  Ribas,  oboist,  199 
De  Rohde,  Marie,  266 
Desclauzas,  153 
Desclauzas's    opera    bouffe    troupe, 

248 
Deshon,  Frank,  150 
f'Dettingen  Te  Deum,"  Handel,  207, 

209 
De  Vaschetti,  178,  307 
De  Vivo,  Diego,  116,  117,  171-174 
De  Vries,  Mme.,  227 
Signorina  Rosa,  227,  228 


Dewey,  Miss,  234,  266 
De  Wolfe,  Captain,  145 
"Dial,  The,"  312 
Diamond,  Master,  219 
Dickinson,  Anna,  285 

Clarence,  318 

Dietzsch,  Emil,  278-283 

Di  Murska,  lima,  116,  117,  172,  175 

"Dinorah,"  147,234,  309 

"Di  Provenza,  The,"  in  "Traviata," 

139 
"Distinguished"  citizens,  197 
"Dixie,"  303 

Dochez,  Louis,  see  De  Passio 
"Doctor  of  Alcantara,  The,"  Eich- 

berg,  246 

Dodge, ,  of  Boston,  22 

Doehler,  violinist,  76 

Dohn,  Adolph  W.,  181,  182,  274,  275, 

288-290,  317 
"Doles'  corner,"  Chicago,  214 
Domestic       Symphony,        Richard 

Strauss,  188,  256 
Donaldi,  Emma,  267 
Donation    party    for    survivor    of 

Boston  Tea  Party,  222 
"Don  Giovanni,"  93,  133,  229,  239, 

247,  309,  314 
"Don  Pasquale,"  165,  232,  235,  246, 

309,  315 
"Don  Quixote,"  Strauss,  56 
"Don  Sebastian,"  239 
Dony,  Mrs.,  285 
Dor<§,  Gustav,  91 
Dotti,  178 
Downing,  B.  F.,  273 

D.  L.,  201 

D'Oyley  Carte  troupe,  149 
"Dramatic  Overture,"  Ellicott,  296 
Drayton,  Henri,  139,  140,  248 

Mrs.,  139,  140 

"Dream  of  Gerontius,"  Elgar,  207 
"Dreamy    Lake,   The,"   Schumann, 

289 
Dressier,  pianist,  61 
Druid  Players,  223 
Drummond's  "Habitants,"  quoted, 

118 
"Drusus'  Death,"  Reissman,  267 
Dubois,  M.  Theodore,  305 
Dubreul,  Amati,  139,  239,  246 
Duckworth,  Miss,  231 
Duff  amateur  company,  148 
Dunham,  Arthur,  318 

Dr.,  223,  255,  256 

Frank  A.,  298 

Dunlap,  Ccorgo  L.,  284 
Dunn,  Arthur,  150 


330 


INDEX 


Durand  English  Opera  Troupe,  136, 

228 
Durand,  Louise,  247 

Rosalie,  136,  228 

Duschnitz,  barytone,  236 

Dutton,  Jennie,  298 

Dwight,  John  S.,  58 

Dye,  Nathan  ("Father  Dye"),  215 

Dyhrenfurth  Hall,  Chicago,  278 

Dyhrenfurth,    Julius,  253-259,  262, 

269,  278,  279,  317 
Dyhrenfurth  orchestra,  257 
Dziuba,  Sophie,  236 

Eames,  Mme.,  37,  170 

"Echo  Song,"  18,  35,  39,  43 

Eddy,  H.  Clarence,  299,  317 

Edouin's  '.'moral  ballet"  from  Paris, 
157 

Ehrgott,  Louis,  298 

Eicheim,  289 

Eichler,  violinist,  198 

Eisenbaum,  Egon,  298 

Eisfeld,  Theodore,  301 

"Elegy  of  Tears,"  181 

f  Elijah,"  88,267,272,  298 

f'Elisir  d'Amore,  L'"  ("The  Elixir 
of  Love"),  136,  231,  242,  309 

Ellicott,  Miss  Frances,  296 

Ellis  opera  troupe,  307 

Ellsworth,  Captain,  113 

Julia,  234,  266,  273 

Ellsworth's  Zouaves,  1 13 

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  285 

Emerson's  Minstrels,  248 

"Emperor's  Hymn,"  304 

Emperor  William's  Household  Cor- 
net Quartette,  200,  201 

Emporia  (Kans.)  Chorus,  297 

Encores,  38,  94 

English  opera,  135-139,  141,  146, 
148,  248 

"Erl  King,  The,"  Schubert,  289 

"Erminie,"  147,  314 

"Ernani,"  229,  232,  239,  243,  247, 
285 

Errani,  tenor,  243 

"Esmeralda,"  309 

Essipoff,  pianist,  83 

Estcott,  Lucy,  136,  231 

Ethiopian  Serenaders,  223 

Ethiopian  Warblers,  Gray's,  223 

"Euryanthe,"  209 

Exposition  Building,  Chicago,  41, 
178,  183,  311 

Fabbri,  Inez,  43,  113,  114,  232,  233, 
266,  306 


Faber,  kettledrum,  257 

"Fair  Land  of  Poland,"  from  f'The 
Bohemian  Girl,"  137 

"Fairest  daughters  of  our  city,"  197 

"Fairy  Tempter,  The,"  219 

Falk,  Louis,  287,  317 

Mrs.  Louis,  149 

"Falka  "315 

"Fall  of  Troy,"  Berlioz,  209 

"Falstaff,"  309 

Farewell  performances,  38,  42,  60, 
61,  235 

Farwell  Hall,  Chicago,  107,  266 

Farwell,  Mrs.  J.  A.,  286,  289 

Faulhaber,  William  O.,  274 

"Faust,"  45,  93,  94,  126,  131,  147, 
178,  235,  239,  308,  310,  311,  314 

f'Favorita,  La,"  93,  165,  229,  251, 
309 

Fechter's  blond  Hamlet,  94 

Fellini,  Signor,  242 

Fenderson,  Juliet,  196 

Ferranti,  61,  116,  142,  243 

Ferri,  basso,  36,  162 

Fessel,  Dr.,  264 

Fessenden,  W.  H.,  146 

"Festival  Ode,"  Monroe,  305 

Festivals:  Opera  Festival,  Chicago, 
41;  Cincinnati  festivals,  107,  186, 
194,  207-210;  Col.  Mapleson's 
operatic  festival  (1855),  178,  312; 
Gilmore's,  194-203 ;  Worcester 
(Eng.),  194;  Chicago  May  festivals 
of  1882  and  1884,  208,  312;  New 
York  May  festival  of  1882,  209 

"Festo  Ascensionis,"  Bach,  209 

"Fidelio,"  133,  236,  247,  308,  310 

Field,  H.  M.,  297 

Marshall,  306 

Mrs.,  Marshall,  Jr.,  277 

"Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold,  The," 
247 

Fine  Arts  Building,  Chicago,  312,  313 

"Fior  di  prima  vera,"  by  Adelina 
Patti,  42,  43 

"Firemen's  Quadrille,  The,"  Julien, 
56 

"First  Gun  is  Fired,  The,"  Root,  302 

First  Presbyterian  Church,  Chicago, 
214 

First  Unitarian  Church,  Chicago,  219 

"First  Walpurgis  Night,"  Mendels- 
sohn, 207,  275 

Fischer,  Emil,  298 

Mme.,  235,  238,  240 

Fisk,  Col.  James,  248 

Katharine,  298 

Fisk's  opera  troupe,  48 


INDEX 


331 


Fitch,  Lizzie,  273 

"Five  o'clock  in  the  morning,"  142 

Flagler,  J.  R.,  286 

"Fledermaus,  Die,"  309,  315 

"FleurdeTheV'  153 

"Florodora,"  148 

"Flower  Girl,  The,"  315 

"Flying  Dutchman,  The,"  308,  314 

Fobert,  Marie  W.,  298 

Foli,  252 

Foltz,  Fritz,  277,  287,  289,  317 

Ford,  S.  C,  298 

Formes,  Carl,  132,  133,  173,  175,  181, 

235,  249 

Theodore,  236 

Wilhelm,  249 

"Formosa;     or,    The    Railroad    to 

Ruin,"  248 
Forrest,  221 

Mrs.,  22 

Forrest-Macready  riots,  165 

Fortnightly  Club,  312 

Fortuna,  barytone,  142 

"Forty  Thieves,  The,"  157 

"Forza    del    Destino,    La,"    Verdi, 

241 
Foster's  songs,  Stephen  C,  301 
Fox  and  Kiralfy  pantomimes,  248 
Fox,  Mrs.,  289 
"Fra  Diavolo,"  93,   132,  239,  243, 

247,  314 
Franco-Prussian  War,  200 
Franosch,  128,  249 
Frederici,  236,  249 
Freie  Sangerbund,  271 
"Freischutz,    Der,"    178,    236,    247, 

276,  309,  314 
Fremstad,  Olive,  37 
French  language  on  early  show  bills, 

213 
"French  Laughing  Song,"  76 
Frezzolini  (Poggi),  114,  163 
Fries,  Henry,  201 

Wulf,  71,  198,  244 

"Frithjof,"  Bruch,  267 
Fuchs,  Julius,  278 
Fuller,  C.  W.,  306 
Fursch-Madi,  40,  178,  252 

Gade's  symphony  in  C  Minor,  265 

Gade's  symphony  in  F  Major,  265 

Gadski,  Mme.,  37,  170 

Galassi,  40,  251 

Galli-Marie,  101 

Galton,  Blanche,  148,  150,  247 

Galton,  Pyne,  247 

Galton  troupe,  136,  153,  247 

Garcia  opera  troupe,  228 


Garde  Republicaine  Band  of  Paris, 

200 
Gassier,  175 
Gates,  Harry,  287 
Gazzaniga,  106,  172,  175,  242,  246 
Geisler,  violinist,  257 
Geistinger,  Marie,  154 
"Gem  of  Peru,"  Guarany,  117 
"Genevieve  de  Brabant,"  153 

Genin, ,  of  New  York,  22 

"Gentle  Zitella,"  219 
George,  Harrison,  61 
German-American  Women's  Chorus, 

297 
German  Liederkranz,  New  York,  297 
German  Sangerbund  of  North  Amer- 
ica, 266,  267 
German  Song  Union,  Chicago,  223 
Germania  Mannerchor,  240,  275-279, 

284 
Germania    Orchestra    (or    Society), 

50-55,  83,  260,  263 
Gerster,  Etelka,  40,  96-99,  107,  251 
Ghent,  Miss,  275 
Ghioni,  Mme.,  242,  243 
Gianinni,  178 
Gifford,  Electa,  298 
Gift  concert  scheme,  224,  235 
Gilbert-Sullivan  operettas,  148 
Gilmore  Juvenile  Company,  149 
Gilmore,  Patrick  Sarsfield,  124,  194- 

202,  205,  233,  246 
Gilmore's  Band,  201 
Gindele,  John  G.,  275 
"Gioconda,  La,"  252,  309,  314 
"Gipsy  Baron,  The,"  315 
"Gipsy  Life,"  Schumann,  207,  290 
"Girl  and  Bandit,"  315 
"Girofle  Girofla,"  315 
Giubetti,  225 
Gleason,  F.  G.,  305,  317 
Glenn,  Hope,  88 
Globe  Theatre,  Chicago,    128,    251, 

285,  286 
"God,  preserve  Thy  People,"  304 
"God  save  the  Queen,"  304 
Goddard,  Arabella,  200 
Goddard  family  of  Providence,  23 
Godfrey,  Dan,  200 
Goethe,  27 

Goldbeck,  Robert,  239 
Goldsmith,  A.  L.,  287 
"Gondoliers,  The,"  309,  315 
Goodhue,  Dr.,  Chicago,  215 
"Good  Night,"  in  "Martha,"  139 
"Good-night,  my  dearest  child,"  130 
Goodrich.  \V.  A..  298 
Goodwillie,  276,  285 


332 


INDEX 


Goodwin,  Fannie,  139 
"Gotterdammerung,"  309 
Gottschalk,   Louis   Moreau,   35,   49, 

76-78,  104,  221,  233 
Graff,  barytone,  236 
"Grand  Carnival  of  America,"  222 
"Grand  Carnival  of  Milan,"  222 
"Grande  Duchesse,  La,"  Offenbach, 

152,  158 
Grant,  Gen.,  19,  199,  240,  241 
Grau,  Jacob  ("J.'-'),    167-169,    171, 

174,  233,  235,  238-242,  248 
Maurice,  68,  159,  169-171,  306, 

307 

Maurice,  opera  troupe,  307 

Graves,  Dexter,  213 

Gray's  Ethiopian  Warblers,  223 

Great  Western  Band,  260 

"Green  Huntsman,  The,"  249 

Greene,  Plunket,  298 

Greenebaum,  Henry,  291 

"Greeting,"  Taubert,  288 

Gregory  troupe,  248 

Greiner,  285 

Grenadier  Guards  Band  of  London, 

200 
Griffin,  Ella,  157 

Minnie  Fish,  298 

Griggs  &  Co.,  S.  C,  Chicago,  272 
Grisi,  25 

Griswold,  Miss,  contralto,  220 
Grover,  Leonard,  84,  235,  236,  242, 

246 
Guidi,  Noel,  242 
Guilmant,  organist,  299 
Guilmette,  Dr.,  196,  246 
Gungl's  band  from  Berlin,  51,  52 
"Gute  Nacht,  mein  herzliches  Kind," 

130 
"Guy  Mannering,"  232 
Gye,  Mme.,  117.    See  also  Albani  and 

Lajeunesse,  Mile. 

Habelman,  tenor,  45,  84,  85,   116, 

131,  236,  246,  247,   249 
Haberkorn,  kettledrum,  181 
"Habitants,"  Drummond,  118 
Hahn,  Governor,  195 
Haig,  'cellist,  266 
"Hail  Columbia,"  296,  304 
Haimer,  barytone,  236 
Hair,  musicians',  79 
"Hallelujah  Chorus,"  292,  306 
Hamill,  Charles  W.,  317 
Hamilton,  106 
"Hamlet,"  309 
Handel,  186 
"Hansel  and  Gretel,"  309 


"Harold  in  Italy,"  Berlioz,  233 
Harrington,  Mrs.  Joseph,  220 

Rev.  Joseph,  220 

Harrison,  tenor,  135 

President  Benjamin,  305 

Mayor  Carter  H.,  Sr.,  178,  179, 

282,  283 
presidential   campaign    (1841), 

219 

Zelda,  138.     See  Seguin,  Zelda 

Hartmann,  235 
Hartnung,  violinist,  257 
Haskell,  Miss  Jessisa,  288,  289 
Hastings,  300 

J.  S.,  219 

Hastreiter,  Helene,  284 

Hatch,  Alonzo,  148,  150 

Hattstaedt,  John  J.,  317 

Hauck,  Minnie,  101-104,  243,  246 

Haverly  juvenile  troupe,  149 

Haydn's  E  Flat  Major  symphony. 

266 
Hayes,  Catherine  ("Kate"  Hayes), 

26  32 
"Haymakers,  The,"  Root,  272 
"Hazel  Dell,"  Root,  301,  303 
"He  of  All  the  Best,  the  Noblest," 

Schumann,  288 
Head,  Franklin,  306 
"Heart  bowed  down,  The,"  139 
"Heavens  are  telling,  The,"  306 
"  Hebron,"  201 
Heckla,  Emma,  298 
"Heil  dir  im  Siegenkranz,"  304 
Heilbron,  251 

Heindl,  Edward  M.,  71,  198,  244 
Heinrich,  Max,  209 
"Heldenleben,"  Richard  Strauss, 

188 
Heller,  Robert,  266 
Henschel,  208 
Hensen,  Medora,  298 
"Herdsman's  Song,"  18 
?' Here's  a  Health  to  Thee,  Mary," 

219 
Hermanns,  basso,  44,  45,  84,    128, 

132,  236,  246,  247 

Joseph,  254 

Herold,  Wilhelm,  298 

Hersee,  Rose,  119,  139,  142,  143,248 

Hershey  Hall,  Chicago,  124 

Herz,  pianist,  161 

Herzog,  double  bass,  181 

Hesse  von  Wartegg,  Chevalier,  102, 

103 
Heth,  Joyce,  the  Mermaid,  19 
Hewitt,  M.  H.,  297 
Higgins,  H.  M.,  271,  272 


INDEX 


333 


Hille,  Signe,  298 
Himmer,  tenor,  236,  249 
Hinckley,  Miss,  232 
Hitchcock,  Raymond,  150 
Hlavac,  J.  V.,  297 
Hoagland,  B.  S.,  297 
Hodson,  Georgia,  228 

Miss,  136 

Hoffman,  277 

Richard,  18,221 

Hoffmann,  Edward,  pianist,  61 

Mme.  Varian,  61 

Hofmann,  Joseph,  170 

Hoisington,  J.  A.,  220 

Holmes,  George  E.,  298 

"Home,  Sweet  Home,"  39,  43,  89, 

306 
Hoppins  family  of  Providence,  23 
Hoppins,    Tom,    his    caricature    of 

Franz  Abt,  204 
Horncastle,  buffo  basso,  61,  135 
Hosmer,  W.  B.  C.,  239 
Howard,  Mr.,  286 
Howell,  Arthur,  139 
Howson,  Emma,  139 
"Hoyden,  The,"  315 
Hubbard,  John,  232,  272,  291,  317 
Huck,  Mrs.  Clara  (Mrs.  L.  A.  ),  276, 

277,  289 
!' Huguenots,  The,"    88,    128,    129, 

133,  140,  147,  285,  308,  310,  311, 

314 
"Humpty-Dumpty,"  247,  248 
Hunneman,  277 
Hunt,  Miss  (Anna  Thillon),  30 
Hutchinson,  221 
Hutchinson  (Kans.)  Chorus,  297 
Hutchinson  family,  223 
f'Hymn  of  Praise,"  Rossini,  299 

"I'm  afloat,"  as  sung  by  Hermanns, 

132 
"I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth," 

88  _ 
"  I  think  I  am  just  fourteen,"  93 
"I   will    lay   me   down   in    Peace," 

Root,  304 
Ibach's  restaurant,  253,  254 
"II  Bacio,"  43,  142 
"II  mio  tesoro,"  122 
Illinois  Theatre,  Chicago,  316 
Impresarios,  159-179 
"In    diesen    heilgen    Hallen,"    from 

"The  Magic  Flute,"  133 
"In    Praise    of    God,"    Beethoven, 

296 
"Inflammatus,"  Rossini,  199 
Ingersoll,  Agnes,  291 


Inness  Band,  299 

International  Company,  252 

International    Peace    Jubilee,    200- 
205 

"Iolanthe,"  309,  315 

Irfre,  Ettore,  130,  243 

"Iris,"  309 

Irving,  Henry,  41,  170 

Isherwood  and   McKenzie,   theatri- 
cal managers  in  Chicago,  216 

"Isis  and  Osiris,"  from  "The  Magic 
Flute,"  133 

"Isle  of  Champagne,"  315 

Israel,  pianist,  76 

"Israel  in  Egypt,"  Handel,  291 

Italian  conductors  of  summer  gar- 
den orchestras,  56 

Italian  opera,  first  time  in  Chicago, 
50, 229-232 

Italian  opera  in  New  Orleans,  228 

Italian  opera  in  New  York,  228 

Italian  opera,  inspirations  of,  130 

Italian  Opera  Troupe,  227 

Italian  Symphony,  Mendelssohn, 
266 

Ives  family  of  Providence,  23 

"Ixion,"  157 

Jaell,  Alfred,  53,  83 

James,  Kate,  69 

Jamet,  175 

Janisch,  276 

Jarbeau,  150 

Jefferson,  Joseph,  217,  221 

Mr.,  Sr.,  217,  218 

Jenkins,  impersonator,  219 
Jewett,  John  A.,  273 
Johannsen,  Bertha,  236,  260 
"John  Brown's  Body,". 201,  303 
Johnson,  Harry,  272-275 

J.,  220,  270 

Mrs.  O.  K.,  286,  289 

Samuel,  262 

Johnston,  Samuel,  220 
Johnstone-Bishop,  Genevra,  298 
Jones,  Kate,  271 

Mary,  271 

Mrs.  S.  W.,  297 

Mr.,  275 

Joseffy,  pianist,  83 

Jourdan,  252 

"Jubilate,"  Beach,  296 

Jubilee  Singers  from  Nashville,  201 

"Jubilee    Waltz,"    Johann    Strauss, 

203 
Juch,  Emma,  209,  252,  298 
"Judas  Maccabseus,"  299 
Judic,  154 


334 


INDEX 


"Juive,  La,"  234,  308 
Julien,  Louis  Antoine,  55,  56 

Paul,  35,  42,  47,  50 

Junca,  basso,  36,  131,  162,  229,  230 

Junger  Mannerchor,  297 

Junker,  233,  299 

Jupiter    Symphony,    Mozart,    209, 

298 
Jussen,  Edmund,  284 
"Just    before    the    Battle,"    Root, 

303 

Kaiser  Franz  Grenadier-Regiment 
Band  of  Berlin,  200 

Kalisch,  Paul,  268 

Mme.,     111.      See    also    Leh- 

mann,  Lilli 

Kapp- Young,  Mme.,  246 

Karl,  Tom,  61,  104,  146,  149 

Kaschoska,  Felice,  298 

Katzenberger,  Gabriel,  297 

Kauffeld,  Charles,  276 

Kellogg,  Clara  Louise,  98,  104-109, 
117,  172,  175,  238-241 

Kellogg  Troupe  (Concert  Troupe, 
Opera  Troupe,  and  Concert  Com- 
pany), 105^107,  140,  247,  251 

Kelmiste  family,  223 

Kelten,  pianist,  44 

Kemp,  Fannie,  231.  See  Bowler, 
Mrs.  Brookhouse 

Kendall,  Mrs.  Ezra,  150 

Kenkel,  Miss,  284 

Kennison,  David,  221,  222 

"Kennst  Du  das  Land?  "  94 

Ken  worthy,  Mr.,  ventriloquist  and 
magician,  214 

Kiefer,  clarinet,  181 

Kimbark,  D.  A.,  271 

"King  Christian  stod,"  304 

"King  Dodo,"  315 

King,  Miss,  Alto,  136,  228 

Kingsbury  Hall,  Chicago,  275,  289, 
311 

Kinzie  house,  Chicago,  212 

Kinzie,  John,  Sr.,  211 

Captain  Robert,  259 

Kloss,  Mrs.,  264,  266 

Kneisel,  Franz,  296 

Kneisel  Quartette,  244,  264,  296 

Knoll,  violinist,  299 

Knorr,  Charles  A.,  149,  298 

Knowles,  Canon,  317 

Koch,  276,  277,  285 

Koppitz,  flutist,  199 

Kossuth,  reception  of,  19 

Krauz,  Ignatz,  223 

Krebbs,  Marie,  250 


"Kreutzer  Sonata,"  Beethoven,  68 
Kuhlman,  bassoon,  181 
Kullinger,  French  horn,  181 
Kunkel  Brothers,  pianists,  289 
Kunkel's  Nightingales,  223 
Kuntz,  Flora,  276,  277 

Lablache,  25,  251,  252 

Laborde,  Mme.,  soprano,  181 

Lacroix,  trumpet,  181 

"Ladies'  Fair,"  first  in  Chicago,  216 

"Lady  Elgin,"  steamer,  274 

Lady  Managers,  Board  of,  Colum- 
bian Exposition,  296 

"Lady  Slavey,"  315 

Lagrange,  Anna,  99-101,  116,  163, 
175,  243 

Lagrange-Brignoli  company,  243, 
246 

Lajeunesse,  Mile.,  117.  See  also 
Albani  and  Gye,  Mme. 

Lake  Shore  Railroad  station,  Chi- 
cago, concerts  in,  196 

"Lakme,"  308 

Lambel6,  Aline,  152 

Lambele'  troupe,  246 

Lamson,  Gardner,  298 

Lancaster,  Mattie,  148 

Lang,  organist,  299 

Lang-Ziegler,  Mrs.,  277 

Laporte,  Sig.,  242 

Larrabee,  William,  220 

"Last  Hope,"  Gottschalk,  76,  77 

"Last  Rose  of  Summer,  The,"  229 

Launn,  violinist,  181 

Laurence,  Alberto,  139 

Leavenworth  (Kans.)  Chorus,  297 

Leder,  viola,  257 

violinist,  257 

Ledochowski,  N.,  289 

Ledogard,  M.,  266 

Lee,  A.  H.,  of  Prairie  du  Rocher,  111., 
the  mysterious,  245 

Left-handed  pianist,  84 

"Legende,"  Wieniawsky,  68 

Lehmann,  Lilli,  23,  101,  109-111, 
268 

Lemoyne,  J.  V.,  262,  317 

Lenschow,  conductor  Germania  So- 
ciety, 52 

Lenssen,  Carlino,  256 

Lentz,  Carl,  54 

Leon  Brothers,  247 

Leonard,  A.,  271 

Leonardi,  Giovanni,  50 

"  Let  the  Bright  Seraphim,"  199 

Letsch,  trombone,  181 

Levy,  cornetist,  142,  196 


INDEX 


335 


Lewis,  Samuel,  214 

William,  234,   266,    273,    289, 

317 
"Liberty  Duet,"  from  f'Puritani," 

131 
Lichtmay,  128,  249 
Liebhart,  Louise,  79 
Liebling,  Emil,  289,  297,  317 
"Lieder  ohne  Worte,"  77 
Liederkranz  Society,  278,  279,  284, 

285 
Light   Guard   Band,   Chicago,   235, 

260 
Light  Guard  Hall,  Chicago,  74 
f'Lily  of  Killarney,  The,"  Benedict, 

246,  315 
Lincoln,   Abraham,    131,    138,    196, 

212,  238,  239,  275,  302 
Lincoln  Park,  Chicago,  David  Ken- 

nison  buried  in,  222 
Lincoln    Park    Zoo,    Chicago,    Leh- 

mann's  interest  in,  110,  111 
Lind,  Jenny,  17-26,  28,  30,  32,  33, 

35,  36,  39,  43,  49,  97,  112,   165, 

221 
"Linda  de  Chamouni,"  165,  239,  308 
Lindau,  Hugo,  267 
Lindquist,  C.  F.,  298 
Lineff  Russian  Choir,  297,  299 
Liszt,  27,  81 
Liszt  concerto,  250 
Liszt's  Second  Rhapsody,  83 
Litta,  Marie,  118,  251 
Little,  Lena,  298 
"Little  Tycoon,"  315 
Little,  W.  C,  297 
Littolf  concerto,  250 
"Litzchen  and  Fritzschen,"  Offen- 
bach, 153 
Lloyd,  Edward,  298 
Lob,  Otto,  275 
Lobkowitz,  Prince,  95 
Locatelli,  barytone,  235,  240,  243 
Loeffler,  C.  M.,  298 
"Lohengrin,"  91,  107,  118,  125,  178, 

209,  251,  267,  308,  314 
"Lord    Lovell    and    Lady    Nancy," 

217 
"Lord    Montag   following   Sontag," 

27 
"Lord,  Thou  alone,"  from  Mendels- 
sohn's "St.  Paul,"  275 
"Lorgnette,"  "Ik  Marvel's,"  24 
Lorini,  Vera  (Virginia  Whiting),  233, 

235,  238 
Lott,  W.  H,  297 
Lottery  to  dispose  of  Crosby  Opera 

House,  244,  245 


Lotti,  tenor,  130,  233,  238,  240,  242, 
247,  266 

Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  mu- 
sic, 300 

Louisville  Musical  Club,  297 

"Loyal  Song,"  Kuecken,  288 

Lucca,  Pauline,  36,  88,  89,  93-97, 
175,  251 

"Lucia  di  Lammermoor,"  35,  100, 
124,  125,  178,  227,  228,  231,  232, 
239,  240,  243,  263,  308,  314 

"Lucia"  sextet,  130 

"Lucia,"  Thalberg,  75 

Lucini,  Signor,  307 

"Lucrezia  Borgia,"  29,  229,  232,  239 

Ludden,  William,  266 

Lumbard,  Frank,  117,  220,  223,  226, 
232,  255,  256,  302,  317 

Jules  G.,  117,  220,  232,    233, 

271-274,  302,  317 

Lungear,  flute,  257 

"Lurline,"  157 

Lutting,  bassoon,  257 

Lyndon,  John  A.,  287 

Lyon  and  Healy's  music  store, 
Chicago,  287,  313 

Lyon  (Kans.)  Chorus,  297 

Lyster,  Frederick,  136,  228 

Maas,  Joseph,  106,  251 
Macaferri  (McAffery),  233 
Macafferi,  247 
MacDonald  (Bostonians),  146 

George,  298 

MacDowell's  concerto,  86 
"Madame  Butterfly,"  309 
Madrigal  Opera  Company,  Chicago, 

149 
"Magic  Flute,  The,"  133,  236,  276, 

277,  309 
Magnussen,  Frederika,  266 
Magra,  Signora,  242 
Main,  Annie,  266,  272-274 
Maish,  A.  F.,  298 
Malibran,  169 
"Man  from  Now,"  315 
"Man  of  Color"  (Wilson  P.  Perry), 

213 
Managers'  stories,  75 
"Mancilliner,  Le,"  Gottschalk,  76 
Mancini,  252 
Mancusi,  232,  235 
Manfred,  Mile.,  242 
Manner-Gesangverein,  270 
Manni,  178 

Manning's  Minstrels,  248 
"Manon,"  309 
"Manru,"  309,  311 


336 


INDEX 


Mansfield,  Richard,  146,  150,  206 
Mansion  House,  Chicago,  213 
Manvers,  Mr.,  225 
Mapleson,  Col.  Henry,  102,  103 
Col.  James  Henry,  36,  40,  50, 

89,  98,  99,  102,  127,  147,  176-179 
Mapleson  operatic  festival,  178,  312 
Mapleson  Troupe,  40,  251,  252 
Marble,  Dan,  220 
Marcassa,  Signor,  307 
Marcello,  Matilda,  268 
"Marche  de  Nuit,  La,"  Gottschalk, 

76 
"Marching  through  Georgia,"  303 
Marguerites,  various,  88,  89,  93,  94, 

104,  118 
Maresi,  175 

Maretzek,  Bertucca,  180 
Max,  20,  35,   49,  50,   59,  162, 

164-167,  243,  246,  247,  249 
Maretzek  Troupe,  251 
Marimon,  252 
Marine  Band,  201,  282,  283 
Mario,  127,  128 
"Maritana,"  229,  232,  315 
Markham,  Pauline,  155,  156 
Markham,  Pauline,    amateur    com- 
pany, 148 
Marlowe,  Julia,  150 
Marra,  barytone,  243 
"Marriage  by  Lanterns,"  153 
V  Marriage  of  Figaro,  The,"  102,  142, 

143,  146,  209,  309 
"Marseillaise,"  50,  304 
Marsh,  J.  S.,  287 
J'Martha,"  121,  128,  129,  132,  133, 

178,  229,  230,  239,  247,  263,  308, 

314 
Marti ne's  Hall,  Chicago,  285 
Martinez,  Signor,  221,  255 

Isidora,  61 

"Marvel,  Ik,"  24 

"  Masaniello,"  284 

Mascagni's  opera  troupe,  307 

"Mascot  "  315 

"Masked  Ball,  The"  ("Un  Ballo  en 

Maschera"),  234, 239, 243, 247, 308 
Mason,  Lowell,  300 
Mason-Thomas    chamber    concerts, 

184 
Mason-Thomas  combination,  264 
Mason-Thomas  Quartette,  55 
Mason,  William,  301 
Massenet,  310 

Massimiliani,  tenor,  238,  239,  243 
Massio,  basso,  243 

Materna,  109,  110,  208,  209,  252,  298 
Matteson,  Cassie,  233,  266,  272,  273 


Matthews,  William  S.  B.,  317 

Mattison,  Mrs.,  272 

Matz,  Otto,  317 

Matzka,  viola,  181 

Maurel,  175 

"May  Queen,  The,"  Bennett,  275 

"May  Song,"  Mendelssohn,  275 

"Mayor  of  Tokio,  The,"  315 

Mazzoleni,  tenor,  238,  240 

McAffery  (Macaferri),  233 

"M'Appari,"  122 

McCormick  Hall,  Chicago,  289,  290, 
311 

McCulloch,  Miss,  149,  243,  247 

McCullum,  J.  P.,  297 

McGregor,  Ada,  297 

McKenzie  and  Jefferson  Theatre, 
Chicago,  222 

McVicker,  J.  H.,  221,  226,  228 

McVicker's  Theatre,  Chicago,  124, 
221,  228,  231,  233,  235,  236,  248, 
285 

McWade,  John  S.,  149 

"Meeting  by  the  Seashore,  The," 
Loewe,  289 

"Mefistofele,"  104,  309.  See  "Me- 
phistopheles " 

Mehlig,  Anna,  83,  84,  289 

"Meinen  Engel!  nenn'  Ich  mein," 
130,  234 

Meirzwinski,  252 

Meisel,  Carl,  71,  198,  243 

"Meistersingers,  The,"  296,  308 

Melba,  Mme.,  37,  170 

Melms,  'cello,  264,  266 

Melodeon  Hall,  Chicago,  257 

Mendelssohn,  25 

Mendelssohn  Club,  311 

Mendelssohn  Club  of  Hyde  Park, 
Chicago,  149 

Mendelssohn  concerto,  250 

Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club  of  Bos- 
ton, 71,  243 

Mendelsshon  Quintette  Club  of  Chi- 
cago, 54,  88 

Mendelssohn  Society,  181,  274,  275, 
288 

Mente,  oboist,  199 

"Mephistopheles,"  Boito,  252 

Mephistopheles,  Hermanns  as,  132 

"Mercy's  Dream,"  Huntington's, 
244 

"Merry  Monarch,"  315 

"Merry  Wives  of  Windsor,  The," 
132,  249,  263,  285 

"Messe  des  Morts,"  Berlioz,  209 

"Messiah,  The,"  88,  186,  209,  284, 
291,  298 


INDEX 


337 


Messinger,  E.  D.,  290 

Metropolitan  German  opera  troupe, 

307 
Metropolitan  Hall,  Chicago,  42,  136, 

196,  231,  272 
Meyer,  oboe,  181 

Jerome,  91 

Martin,  276-279,  285 

Meyerbeer,  93 

Michigan   Avenue    Baptist  Church, 

Chicago,  285,  286 
Michigan  Avenue  Theatre  (Standard 

Hall),  Chicago,  285 
Middelschulte,  Wilhelm,  299,  318 
" Midsummer  Night's  Dream,"  Men- 
delssohn, 77,  266 
"Mignon,"  88,  93,  94,  104,  105,  251, 

309,  314 
"Mikado,  The,"  149,  308,  314 
Military,  Lucca's  love  for  the,  94-96 
"Military  Septet,"  Hummel,  240 
Miller,  Hattie  Brown,  266 
Milleri,  Signor,  242 
"Miller's  Daughter,  The,"  Haertel, 

289 
Milner,  Annie,  136,  231 
Mills,  pianist,  142,  243,  290 
Milwaukee  Arion  Club,  297 
Minneapolis  Choral  Association,  297 
Minstrel  troupe,  first  in  Chicago,  219 
Miranda,  tenor,  231 
"Mireille,"  Gounod,  117 
"Mirella,"  178 
"Miss  Pocahontas,"  315 
Missouri  Governor  and  Patti,  99 
Mockridge,  Whitney,  298 
"Moise,"  Thalberg,  75 
Mollenhauer,    Henri,    74,    199,   232, 

266 
"Money  Musk,"  66,  92 
Money  thrown  to  actors  on  stage,  217 
Monroe,  Miss  Harriet,  296,  305 
Montague,  106 

"Moonlight"  sonata,  Beethoven,  77 
Moore-Lawson,  Corinne,  298 
"Moral  ballet,"  Edouin's,  157 
Morelli,  barytone,  76,  235 
Morensi  (Miss  Duckworth),  231,  233, 

235,  238,  239 
Morini,  barytone,  35,  50 
"Morning,  The,"  Ries,  272 
Morris,  Thomas  A.,  298 
Morton,  Levi  P.,  305 
"Mose,"  Chanfrau's,  20 
Mosenthal,  violinist,  181 
"Moses  in  Egypt,"  Rossini,  234 
"Mother's  Prayer,  The,"  39 
Mould,  Mr.,  256 


Mozart,  J.  J.,  261,  262 

Mrs.  J.  J.,  261,  262 

Mozart  Society,  Chicago,  220,  270 

Mozart's  E  flat  symphony,  207,  208, 
265 

Mozart  G  minor  symphony,  209, 
265,  298 

Mueller,  Carl  E.  R.,  276,  317 

Mulder,  Richard,  233,  266 

Muller,  basso,  239,  240 

Miiller,  violinist,  264 

Munro,  Mabel,  298 

"Musette,"  Offenbach,  240 

Museum,  first  in  Chicago,  219 

Museum  of  curios  and  "art  won- 
ders," 222 

Musiani,  242 

Music,  Bureau  of,  Columbian  Expo- 
sition, 295 

Musical  comedies,  155,  157,  315 

Musical  criticism,  early,  53,  54,  74, 
218,  256 

Musical  festivals,  see  Festivals 

Musical  Union,  see  Chicago  Musical 
Union 

Musicians'  Union,  240 

"My  Bark  is  on  the  Billow,"  219 

Nannetto,  175 

"Nanon,"  315 

National  Band  from  Dublin,  200 

National  Peace  Jubilee,  198-200 

"Navarraise,  La,"  309 

"Near  the  Lake  where  drooped  the 

Willow,"  219 
"Nero,"  252 

Neuendorf  Opera  Company,  286 
Nevada,  Emma,  118,  178 
Nevada's  (Emma)  daughter,  118 
New  Orleans  French  opera  troupe, 

307 
New  Orleans  Opera  House,  48 
New  Orleans,  opera  in,  228 
New  York  Academy  of  Music,  60 
New  York  Arion  and  Chicago  Ger- 

mania  Mannerchor  Commerz,  130 
New  York  as  Lucca  saw  it,  96 
New   York   May   festival    of    1882, 

209 
New  York  Philharmonic  Society,  54, 

55,  268 
New    York,    popularity    of    theatre 

with  ladies,  218 
New    York    Symphony    Orchestra, 

296 
Newell,  E.  G.,  290,  317 
Newton  (Kans.)  Chorus,  297 
"Niagara,"  Ole  Bull,  59,  221 


338 


INDEX 


"Nibelungen  Trilogy,"  69,  209 
Niblo's,  New  York,  165 
Nicholas,  Ernest  (Nicolini),  40 
Nichols,  Mrs.  George  Ward,  210 
Nickerson,  R.  C,  306 

S.  M.,  306 

Nieola,  230 

Nicolini  (Ernest  Nicholas),  40,  43, 

178 
Nicolo,  74,  229 

Nielsen-Dreyer,  Christine,  298 
Nietzsche,  241 

"Nightingale,"  Mendelssohn,  275 
Nightingales,  Kunkel's,  223 
"Nightingale's  Trill,"  142 
Nikita,  Louise,  298 
Nilsson,   Christine,   29,   36,   40,   66, 

87-93,  96,  97,  123,  124,  130,  175, 

209,  251 
" Ninety-fifth  Psalm,"  Mendelssohn, 

274 
Ninth   Regiment    Band    from    New 

York,  201 
Noble,  Charles  F.,  149 
"Non  tu sogni," from  "I  Lombardi," 

257 
Nordblom,  tenor,  142 
Nordica,  Mme.,  37,  170,  298 
"Norma,"  20,  34,  37,  136,  228,  232, 

239,  308 
"  Norma,"    a    fantasie,    upon    one 

string,  222 
North  Reading,  Essex  County,  Mass., 

300 
North's  Amphitheatre,  Chicago,  230 
Northwestern  Sangerfest,  262 
Northwestern  Sanitary  Fair,  240 
Nowlin,  Miss  Mary,  223 
"Nozze  di  Figaro,"  93.     See  '•Mar- 
riage of  Figaro,  The." 
Nurnberger,  viola,  264 

"O,  Luce  di  quest'  anima,"  from 

"Linda,"  39 
"O  ma  Charmante,"  Gottschalk,  76 
Oates,  Alice,  153,  154,  247,  248 
"Oberon,"  142 

Ocean  Symphony,  Rubinstein,  268 
"Odysseus,"  Bruch,  267 
"(Eil  Creve,  L',"  153 
Offenbach's  contributions  to  opera 

bouffe,  152,  158 
Ohrstrom-Renard,  Augusta,  298 
"Ojos  Creollos,"  Gottschalk,  76,  77 
"Old  Folks  at  Home,"  89 
Old  Folks'  concert  troupe,  140 
"Old  Hundred,"  199,  200 
Old  Ladies'  Home,  Chicago,  234 


Old  Settlers'  Harmonic  Society,  214, 

215,  270 
Olgini,  Olga,  242 
"Olivette,"  315 
Omaha  Apollo  Club,  297 
"On  Shore  and  Sea,"  Sullivan,  291 
Opera  bouffe,  152-154,  157,  158 
Opera  Festival  Association,  178 
Opera,  first  in  Chicago,  222,  225,  226 
Operas  from  standpoint  of  manager 

and  public,  310 
Operas,  revival  of,  242 
Oratorio  in  Chicago,  284 
Oratorio  Society,  Chicago,  88,  284 
Orchestra,  first  in  Chicago,  255 
Orchestra  Hall,  311 
Organ,  first  in  Chicago,  215,  216 
Orlandini,  238,  242 
Orme,  Gertrude,  61 
Ormeny,  Louise,  79 
"Orpheus,"  Gluck,  207,  252,  309 
"Orpheus  aux  Enfers,"  Offenbach, 

152,  153,  158 
Osgood,  Aline,  208 
Oskleston-Lippe,  Rata,  297 
Ostberg,  Caroline,  298 
Ostergren,  John  R.,  297 
"Othello"  ("Otello"),  307,  308,  314 
"Other  Girl,  The,"  315 
Otis,  Philo  A.,  287,  317 
Otten,  Joseph,  297 
Overbeck,  285 
Oxford  festivals,  133 

Paderewski,  I.  J.,  296,  297,  311 
Paderewski's  Concerto  in  A  Minor, 

op.  17,  296 
Paganini,  59 

"Pagliacci,  I,"  131,  309,  314 
Paige,  Emilia,  266 
Paine,  Professor,  130,  296 
Palme,  'cello,  257 
Palmer  House,  Chicago,  103 
Palmieri,  Mme.,  251 
Pancake,  the  "Jenny  Lind,"  21 
Pancani,  Signor,  246 
Pandbar,  violinist,  257 
Pantaleoni,  251 
Paolo-Marie\  154 
Pappenheim,  40 
Pappenheim- Adams  German  Troupe, 

251 
"Paradise  and  the  Peri,"  290 
Parepa-Rosa,  Mme.,  119,  139,  141- 

146,  172,  173,  198,  199,  242,  248, 

284 
Parodi,  Teresa,  20,  47,  49,  50,  74, 

163,  165,  229,  231 


INDEX 


339 


Parozzi,  barytone,  243 
"Parsifal,"  42,  209,  309,  316 
"Partant  pour  la  Syrie,"  304 
Pasta   49 

"Patience,"  149,  309,  315 
Patriotic  music  of  Civil  War  period, 

300,  302-304 
Patriotic  prima  donnas,  50 
Patriotism  of  early  settlers,  220 
Patti,  Adelina,  33-48,  60,  89,  97-99, 

105,  122,  124,  125,  147,  162,  164, 

174,  175,  178,  227,  252,  273,  306, 

307 

Amalia      (Mme.       Patti-Stra- 

kosch),  34,  36,  47-50,  74,  162,  163, 
180,  229,  230,  243 

Carlos,  34,  46,  48,  49 

Carlotta,  34,  44-48,   76,    127, 

164,  175,  233 

Clotilde,  34 

Ettore,  34,  42 

Nicolo,  34 

Salvatore,  34 

"Paul  and  Virginia,"  Masse\  117 

Paulus,  M.,  200 

Peak  Family,  248 

Peake,  221 

Peakes,  106 

Henry,  246 

J.  G.,  246 

Pearson,  G.  C,  274 

Pease,  Alfred,  61 

Peck,  Ferdinand  W.,  305 

W.  L.,  306 

"Peggy  from  Paris,"  315 

Pepoli,  Countess  (Marietta  Alboni), 
26 

"Per  piacer  alia  Signora,"  from  Ros- 
sini's "II  Turco  in  Italia,"  18 

Perabeau,  Henry,  260 

Perkins,  Henry  S.,  317 

Jules,  102 

Perni,  basso,  239 

Perring,  Ernest,  181 

Perry,  Wilson  P.,  213 

Persiani,  169 

Perugini,  40,  252,  306,  307 

Peschka-Leutner,  Mme.,  200,  267 

"Petticoats  and  Bayonets,"  315 

Petrella,  Signor,  247 

Petrovitch,  252 

Philadelphia  Philharmonic  concert, 
137 

"Philemon  and  Baucis,"  309 

Philharmonic  orchestra,  266 

Philharmonic  Society,  Chicago,  222, 
255,  258,  259,  262-266 

Philleo,  Mrs.,  272 


Phillips,  Mr.,  234 

Adelaide,  146,    150,    175,  198, 

199,  235,  243 

Charles  C,  272,  287 

Philip,    the    "Sweet    Singer," 

144 
Piccolomini,  114-116 
"Pinafore,"  136,  146-151,308,315 
"Ping  Pong,"  315 
"Pirates    of    Penzance,   The,"    149, 

308,  315 
Pittsburg  Mozart  Club,  297 
Pittsburg  Orchestra,  208 
"Pizzicato  Polka,"  Johann  Strauss, 

202 
Plagemann,  54 
Plagge,  Christopher,  258 
Plangon,  M.,  37 
Piatt,  J.  S.,  271 
Plymouth    Congregational    Church, 

Chicago,  286 
"Pocahontas,  Miss,"  315 
Poggi  (Frezzolini),  114 
Pogliani,  G.,  227 
Poinsot,  Mile.,  alto,  181 
Point  au  Sable,  Jean  Baptiste,  212 
"Poliuto,  II,"  165,  229,  232,  239 
Pollini,  Cash,  242 
"Polonaise,"  Wieniawsky,  68 
Pond,  F.  S.,  287 
"Poor  Bessie,"  219 
"Poor  Gentleman,  The,"  285 
Post,  Lilly,  150 
"Postilion  of  Lonjumeau,"  Wachtel 

in,  128,  129,  173 
"Poup<5e,  La,"  308 
Powell,  Maud,  298 
Pozzolini,  tenor,  28,  29,  227,  228 
Prairie  du  Rocher,  111.,  245 
Pratt,  E.  H.,  287 

Silas  G.,  286-288,  317 

"Preciosa,"  Weber,  256 

Prejudice  against  theatre  in  Chicago, 

218 
"Preludes,"  Liszt,  267 
Prentiss,  L.  M.,  287 
Price,  Mr.,  with  Ethiopian  Serenad- 

ers,  223 

—  M.  F.,  272 

Prices  of  opera  seats,  136 
Prices  paid  to  artists,  36,  37 
Prices  paid  to  hear  Jenny  Lind,  22 
"Prima  Donna,  The,"  137 
Prima  donnas,  grand  opera,  120 
"Prince  Bonnie,"  315 
"Prince  of  Pilsen,"  315 
Pring,  Charles  V.,  287 
Prize  concerts,  224,  235 


340 


INDEX 


"Prophet,  The,"  165,  309 
Providence,  " Jenny  Lind  fever"  in, 

22 
Prume,  violinist,  44 
Pullman,  George  M.,  306 
f'Puritani,  1,"  178,  229,  239 
f  Puritan's     Daughter,   The,"     142, 

248 
"Pygmalion  and  Galatea,"  315 
Pyne-Harrison  troupe,  135 
Pyne,  Louise,  31,  135,  153 
Susan,  135 

"Queen  of  Sheba,"  252,  308 
"Queen's  Lace  Handkerchief,  The," 

315 
"Quis   Est    Homo,"    from    "Stabat 

Mater,"  199 

Rachel,  Elise,  17 

Raff's  Third  symphony,  298 

"Rakoczy  March,"  63 

Ramociotti,  bassoon,  257 

Randolfi,  243 

Ranny,  J.  R.,  287 

"Ranz  des  Vaches,"  304 

"Rataplan,"   from   "The   Daughter 
of  the  Regiment,"  241 

Ravel,  Francois,  230,  231 

Ravel  pantomime,  230 

Ravelli,  252,  307 

Raymond,  Mrs.,  109.     See  also  Kel- 
logg, Clara  Louise 

B.  W.,  215 

Miss  Emily,  257 

Miss  Fanny,  257 

L.  W.,  149 

"Recherche"  balls,  197 

V  Recollections,"  by  Emily  Soldene, 
154 

by  Maurice  Strakosch,  163,  164 

"Recordati,"  Gottschalk,  76 

"Redemption,"  Gounod,  209 

Reder-Crane,  Neallie,  297 

Rees,  William,  297 

Reichardt,  violinist,  198 

Reif,  pianist,  135 

Rein,  Emil,  270 

Reisinger,  Conrad  Charles,  222 

Rejane,  170 

Remenyi,  Edouard,    59,   60,    62-65, 
131 

Remmertz,  Franz,  208,  209,  267 

"Rent  Day,"  220 

Repertory  of  early  actors,  218 

"Reverie,"  Vieuxtemps,  181 

Reynoldson,  family  name  of  Caroline 
Richings,  137 


"Rhapsodie,"  for  piano,  Willmers, 

289 
"Rheingold,"309 

"Rialto,  The,"  Chicago  theatre,  217 
Ricardi,  Frederica,  246 
Ricardo,  246 
Ricci,  Bertha,  252 
Rice,  Mrs.  De  Roode,  286 

John  B.,  220,  226,  227 

Rice's  Theatre,   Chicago,    137,  220, 

221,  225,  226 
Richings,  Caroline,  137-141,  246,  247 

Peter,  actor,  137 

Richings'  troupe,  138,  139,  147,  246- 

248 
Richter,  double  bass,  257 

Alfred,  61 

"Rienzi,"  296 

"Rigoletto,"  34,  105,  165,  229,  309, 

314 
"Rigoletto"  quartet,  130 
Rinaldini,  178 

Rink  (Jackson  Boulevard  and  Wa- 
bash Avenue),  Chicago,  277 
"Rip  Van  Winkle,"  Henri  Drayton 

in,  140 
Ritter,  pianist,  44,  45 
"Rivals,  The,"  217 
Rive,  Lilian,  298 
Riv6-King,  pianist,  83 
"Rob  Roy,"  232,  315 
"Robert  the  Devil,"  88,  133,  243,  247 
"Robin  Adair,"  43 
"Robin  Hood,"  309 
"Robinson  Crusoe,"  Offenbach,  153 
Rocco,  165 
Rocher,  H.,  287 
Rohner,  Frank  G.,  287 
Romani,  violinist,  181 
"Romeo  and  Juliet,"  43,  165,  246, 

306-308,  314 
Ronconi,  Antoinetta,  246 

Giorgio,  243,  246,  247 

Root,  Charles  T.,  287 

E.  T.,  272,  274 

Fanny, 272,  289 

Frederick  W.,  317 

George  F.,  232,  272,  300-304, 

317 

Towner,  301 

Walter  T.,  305 

Root  and  Cady,  music  dealers,  271, 

272 
Root  and  Sons  Music  Company,  313 
Rosa,  Carl,  142,  143,  145,  198,  243, 

286 
"Rosalie,  the  Prairie  Flower,"  Root, 

301,  303 


INDEX 


341 


"Rose  of  the  Alhambra,"  315 
Rosenbecker,  Adolph,  317 

Ross, ,  of  Providence,  22 

Rossetti,  Anna,  249,  285 

Rossi,  Count,  27-29 

Countess,    26.     See     Sontag, 

Henriette 
Rossini,  27 
Roth,  pianist,  35 
Rotter,  Johanna,  236,  247 
Rouzaud,  August,  92 
Roze,  Marie,  101-104,  251 
Rubinstein,    Anton,    68-70,    79-82, 

170 
Rubinstein  concerto,  250 
Rudersdorf,    Mme.     Erminia,     146, 

200,  205,  206 
Rudolphsen,  136,  142,  231,  284 
"Rule  Britannia,"  304 
Rulla,  Kate,  298 
Rummel,  pianist,  83 
Russell,  Annie,  150 

Henry,  301 

William  H.,  219 

Ryan,  Thomas,  71,  198,  243 

Sabin,  A.  R.,  234,  273,  287 
Saguenash    Tavern,    Chicago,    212, 

216 
St.   James's  Church,  Chicago,  215, 

216 
St.    John's    Church,    Chicago,    285, 

286 
St.  Louis  Choral  Association,  297 
St.  Louis,  Wakefield  Opera  House, 

48 
St.  Mary's  Church,  Chicago,  234 
"St.  Mathew's  Passion,"  298 
St.  Paul  Choral  Association,  297 
"St.  Paul,"  Mendelssohn,  291,  298 
St.    Paul's    Church,    Chicago,    233, 

275 
Saint-Safins,  305,  310 
"Salamis,"  Bruch,  267 
"Salammbo,"  308 
Salaries  paid  to  artists,  37,  163,  164 
"Salute  a  Bergamo,"  Siebert,  289 
Salvini,  125,  170 
Salvotti,  Marie,  196 
Salzman,  clarinet,  257 

viola,  257 

Samans,  Carl,  297 
San  Carlo  opera  troupe,  307,  308 
San  Francisco,  32,  65,  98,  99,  133 
Sangerfests  origin  of  musical  festi- 
vals, 210 
Sanquirico,  basso,  112 
Sanz,  Eleanor,  118 


Sapio,  Signor,  307 

Sarasate,  violinist,  45,  170 

Saro,  Heinrich,  200 

Sarti,  barytone,  243 

"Saterbesok,  El,"  Ole  Bull,  59 

Satter,  Gustav,  181 

Sauret,  116,  127 

Savage,  Mr.,  316 

Savage  Metropolitan  English  opera 

troupe,  307 
"Savane,  Le,"  Gottschalk,  76 
Saveri,  277 
Saxe,  John  G.,  285 
Sbriglia,  231 
Scalchi,  40,  178,  252 
Scaria,  Emil,  209 
Schafer,  double  bass,  257 
"Schiller,"  lecture  by  Bayard  Tay- 
lor, 285 
Schirmer,  Laura,  252 
Schmitz,  flute,  257 

French  horn,  181 

Schoeffel,  306,  307 
Schoeffler,  170 
Schott,  252 

Schreiber,  cornetist,  35 
Schreurs,  J.,  298 
Schroeder,  Alwin,  298 
Schroder-Hanfstangel,  Mme.,  268 
Schubert's   Ninth   symphony   (in   C 

Major),  207,  209,  266,  298 
Schubert's  quartet  in  D  Minor,  250 
Schubert's    Unfinished    Symphony, 

296,  298 
Schuecker,  Edward,  298 
Schultze,  Edward,  274,  276,  277,  285 

Wilhelm,  198,  243 

William,  54,  71 

Schuman,  Mme.,  soprano,  181 
Schumann,  Clara,  25 
Schumann-Heink,  Mme.,  30,  37,  170 
Schumann's  First  symphony  (in  B 

Flat),  250,  267,  268 
Schumann's  Fourth  symphony,  250, 

298 
Schumann's  Mass  in  C  Minor,  209 
Schumann's  Second  symphony,  267 
Schumann's  Third  symphony,  298 
Scolari,  basso,  127,  175 
Scotch  Symphony,  Mendelssohn,  265 
Scott,  Sir  Walter,  27 
Scottish  Choral  Union,  297 
Seaverus,  "Charley,"  272 
Second  Rhapsody,  Liszt's,  83 
"See  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes," 

199,  306 
Seguin,  husband  of  Zelda  Harrison 

Seguin,  138,  221,  246 


342 


INDEX 


Seguin,  Elizabeth,  mother  of  Parepa 

Rosa,  142 

troupe,  137 

Zelda,  106,  138,  139,  246 

Seidl,  Anton,  315,  316 

Selles,  Miss,  266 

Sembrich,   Mme.,   28,   37,   40,    170, 

252 
"Semiramide,"  178,  251,  308 
Sensationalism  and  sentimentalism, 

Theodore  Thomas's  freedom  from, 

187 
Serbolini,  178 
"Serenade,"  309 
"Serenata,"  for  piano,  Liszt,  289 
Servais  fantasia,  240 
" Seven  Sisters;  or,  The  Daughters 

of  Satan  on  a  Visit  to  Chicago," 

248 
"Sharp  Corner,"  Chicago,  253 
"Shepherds'    Song,"    Mendelssohn, 

275 
Sheridan,  Miss,  275 
Sherman,  Gen.,  240,  241,  250 
Sherman   House,   Chicago,   91,   92, 

267,  275 
Sherwood,  W.  H.,  297,  318 
"Shining  Shore,"  Root,  301,  304 
"Shogun,"  315 

Shortall,  John  G.,  262,  291,  317 
"Sicilian  Vespers,"  234,  240 
Sidenbourg,  Mme.,  227 
Siedler,  flute,  181 
"Siegfried,"  309 
"Sigurd,"  309 
Simons,  Lucy,  76,  242 
"Sinbad  the  Sailor,"  155,  157 
Singer,  Teresita,  252 
Singing  families,  221 
Sinico,  251 

"Sir"  and  "My  dear  fellow,"  177 
"Sixty-six,"  Offenbach,  153 
Slav  musicians,  187 
?' Sleepy    Hollow,"    Max    Maretzek, 

165 
Sloan,  Mr.,  286 

Oscar,  216 

Smith  and  Nixon's  Hall,  Chicago,  76 
Smith,  Benjamin,  215 

"Charley,"  232 

E.,215 

Mrs.  H.  M.,  196,  246,  290 

Soames,  Estelle,  266 
Sofge,  F.  M.,  266 
Soldene,  Emily,  154 
"Soldiers'  March,"  235 
!' Solitude  of  the  Prairie,"  Ole  Bull, 
59 


"Sonnambula,"  104,  136,  178,  225, 

228,  231,  232,  239,  308,  314 
Sonne,  Charles,  270 
Sontag,  Henriette  (Countess  Rossi), 

26-30,  33 
Soule,  L.,  297 
Sousa  Band,  299 
South  visited  by  foreign  musicians, 

254 
Spalding,     Rogers,     and     Hanlon's 

Circus,  129 
"Speed  the  Plough,"  229 
Spiering,  Theodore,  298 
Sprague,  William,  284,  287 
"Spring    of    our    Rejoicing,    The," 

Durrner,  289 
Springfield,  111.,  218,  239 
Squires,  Henry,  44,  229 
Staab,  Franz,  76,  266,  271 

Louis,  234,  271 

"Stabat  Mater,"  Rossini,  228,  274, 

299 
Standard    Hall    (Michigan    Avenue 

Theatre),  Chicago,  285,  288,  311 
Standard  Theatre  Company,  148 
Stanley,  Burton,  juvenile  troupe,  149 
Stanton,  Elizabeth  Cady,  285 
"Star  of  the  North,"  243 
"Star-Spangled    Banner,"  50,   114, 

137,  199,  203,  220,  296,  304 
Starbird,  Annie,  139 
Stasny,  Carl,  297 
States,  Agatha,  247 
Staudigl,  252 
Stebbins,  George  C,  287 
Steffani,  235 
Steffanone,  47,  165 
Steinbach,  178 
Steindl,  Bruno,  298       v^ 
Steinecke,  basso,  236 
Sterling  (Kans.)  Chorus,  297  ' 
Stetson,  John,  149 
Stevens,  Neallie,  297 
Stewart,Mrs., "  female  gramophone," 

223 
Stickney,  Edward,  262,  317 
Stiles,  A.  B.,  287 
Still,  John  A.,  219 
Stock,  Frederick  A.,  208,  269,  318 
Stockton,  Fanny,  233 
Stone,  Marie,  146,  148,  150 
Story,  Wilbur  F.,  155,  156 

Mrs.  Wilbur  F.,  156 

Stoughton  (Mass.)  Musical  Society, 

297 
"Stradella,"  132,  257,  277 
Strakosch,  Mrs.,  109.     See  also  Cary, 

Annie  Louise 


INDEX 


343 


Strakosch,  Maurice,  34, 35,  40,  47,  50, 

103,  108,  114,  161-164,    174,  180, 

229 

Max,  162,  174-176,  239,  243 

Strakosch  Troupe,  251,  252 
"Stranger,    The,"    first    play    pro- 
duced in  Chicago,  216 
Strauss,  Johann,  200,  202-204 

Richard,  188,  202,  256 

Studebaker  Hall,  Chicago,  314 
Studebaker  Theatre,   Chicago,  294, 

312.  314-316 
"Student  King,  The,"  315 
Suck,  'cellist,  198 
Suelke,  Mme.,  298 
Sullivan  operettas,  148,  149 
"Sultan  of  Sulu,"  315 
Summer  Garden  concerts,  Chicago, 

183   311 
Summy,  Clayton  F.,  318 
"Suoni  la  tromba,"  from  "Puritani," 

131 
"Susan  and  Yankee  Doodle,"  222 
Susini,  basso,  131,  175,  232,  234,  235, 

239, 240,  242,  243 
"Swan  of  Erin"  (Kate  Hayes),  32 
"  Swedish       Nightingale"       (Jenny 

Lind),  32 
Sweet,  George,  252 
Swiss  Bell  Ringers  (The  Campana- 

logians),  129,  247 
"Swiss  Echo  Song,"  306 
"Symphonia    Domestica,"    Strauss, 

see  Domestic  Symphony 
Symphony,  first  heard  in  Chicago,  53 
Synneberg,  Mme.,  307 

Taffanelli,  Signor,  227,  228 

Tagliapietra,  69,  251 

Tamagno,  307 

Tamaro,  tenor,  235,  236,  242 

"Taming  of  the  Shrew,"  104 

"Tannhauser,"  209,  236,  263,  308, 

314 
"Tannhauser  Overture,"  76 
"Tar  and  Tartar,"  315 
"Tarantella,"  314 
"Tasso,"  Liszt,  267,  268 
Taylor,  Bayard,  18,  285 

Benjamin  F.,  234 

Taulwasser,  oboist,  199 

Teacher  of  music,  first  in  Chicago,  214 

"Ten  Girls,"  315 

"Ten  Years  of  Music  in  the  United 

States,"  Bernard  Ullman,  161 
Tenors  in  grand  opera,  120,  121 
"Tenth  Symphony"  celebration  at 

Cincinnati,  186 


Ternina,  170 

Terry,  Ellen,  41,  89 

Testa,  Enrico,  246 

Natali,  246 

Thackeray,  32 

Thalberg,  Mme.,  75 

Sigismund,  66,  73-76,  83 

"Thalberg  of  Song,  The,"  27 

Thalberg-Vieuxtemps-D'Angri  con- 
certs, 73 

Theatre,  first  in  Chicago,  216 

Th6o,  154 

"There  's  a  Beautiful  Isle  up  the 
River  of  Time,"  234 

"There  is  Music  in  the  Air,"  Root, 
303 

Thiedemann,  54 

Thiem,  276,  285 

Thillon,  Anna,  26,  30,  31 

M.,  30,  31 

Thomas,  Mrs.,  272 

Orchestra,  68,  83,  181,  208,  233, 

263,  269,289,  290,311 

Theodore,  38,  42,  52,  55,  64,  67, 

68,  83,  84,  126,  130,  161,  180-193, 
207-210,  250,  253,  266-269,  274, 
294-297,  299-301,  311,  315-317 

Thompson,  cymbal,  257 

Agnes,  298 

A.  H.,  148 

C6sar,  64 

J.  L.,  271 

Lydia,  155-157 

Thompsons,  from  Kansas,  299 

Thome,  Colonel,  of  New  York,  34 

"Thousand  and  One  Nights,"  Jo- 
hann Strauss,  202 

Thunder,  organist,  299 

Thursby,  Emma,  61,  118,  196 

Tiberini,  tenor,  50 

Tietjens,  175 

"Till  Eulenspiegel,"  Richard  Strauss, 
208 

Tillinghast,  Sarah,  233,  273 

Tilton,  Mrs.  E.  S.,  149 

Tinkham,  E.  I.,  262,  284,  317 

"To  the  Sons  of  Art,"  Mendelssohn, 
296 

Tobey,  A.  B.,  271 

"Tool  und  Verklarung,"  Richard 
Strauss,  208 

Toedt,  Theodore  J.,  44,  208,  209 

Tombell,  M.  de  la,  305 

Tomlins,  Bella,  298 

William  L.,  208,  290-292,  295, 

297,  299,  317 

Topeka  Chorus,  297 

Topp,  Alida,  247 


344 


INDEX 


"Tornado  choruses,"  202 

Torrens,  L.  A.,  297 

Torriani,  175 

"Tosca,  La,"  309,  314 

Tostee,  153 

Tostee  opera  bouffe  company,  247 

Tournier,  252 

"Tramp,  Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys 

are  Marching,"  Root,  232,  303 
Travellers'  Home,  Chicago,  214 
"Traviata,   La,"  42,  117,   165,  229, 

232,  247,  308,  314 
Trebelli,  40 
Treffz,  Jetty,  wife  of  Johann  Strauss, 

204 
Tremont  House,  Chicago,  37,  227 
Tremont  Music   Hall,   Chicago,   38, 

227,  255 
Trevor,  with  Durand  troupe,  136 
"Trial  by  Jury,"  309,  315 
"Tribe  of  Jesse  from  the  Old  Granite 

State,"  221 
"Trip  to  Africa,  A,"  315 
"Tristan  and  Isolde,"  309 
"Triumphal  Fantasie,"  Dubois,  305 
Triumphal  Symphony,  Ulrich,  265 
Trotting    match    on    Prairie    Horse 

Course,  St.  Louis,  21 
"Trovatore,  II,"  106,  128,  136,  146, 

165,  229,  232,  239,  243,  247,  308, 

310,  314 
Tschaikowsky's  "  1812  "  overture,  56, 

124 
Tschaikowsky's  Fifth  symphony,  298 
Tschaikowsky's   Fourth  symphony, 

298 
Tucker,  Henry,  220 
Turner  Hall,  Chicago,  69 
Tumour,  Mile.,  247 
Twain,  Mark,  286 
"Twelve  Temptations,"  248 
"Two  Little  Girls,"  315 

Ullman,  Bernard,  35,  161,  162,  181 

Ulmar,  Geraldine,  146,  150 

"Undine,"  249 

Unger,  'cello,  299 

— r  Julius,  261 

Union  Park  Congregational  Church, 

Chicago,  285 
United     Scandinavian     Singers     of 

America,  297 
Urchs,  basso,  236 
Urso,  Camilla,  53,  54,  68,  70-72,  196, 

246,  266 
"Used  Up,"  220 
"Utrecht  Jubilate,"  298,  299 
Utto,  252 


"Vacant   Chair,  The,"  Root,  303 
Valleria,  Alwina,  40,  118,  252 
"Valley  Forge,"  allegorical  tableau, 

137 
Vandenhoff,  George,  22 
Van  der  Stucken,  Mr.,  208 
Van  Diemen,  Mr.,  297 
Van  Zandt,  Jennie,  106,  251 
Venerable  choruses,  169 
"Venzano,"  43 
"Venzano  Waltz,"  76 
Verdi,  60 

Verger,  barytone,  87,  92 
Vestvali,  165 
Vicini,  178 
Vicino,  40 

"Vie  Parisienne,  La,"  153 
Vierling,  128,  249 

Vieuxtemps,  Henri,  65-68,  73,  87,  92 
Vocal  quartette,  first  in  Chicago,  223 
Vogrich,  pianist,  63,  64 
Von  Arnim,  Bettina,  27 
Von  Bronsart,  Frau  Ingeborg,  296 
Von  Bulow,  27,  28,  81-83,  221 
Von  Kopta,  Herr,  247 
Von  Moltke,  94 
Von  Rahden,  Baron,  95 

"Wacht  am  Rhein,"  280,  304 

Wachtel,  Theodor,  48,  128-130,  172, 
173,  251 

Wade,  T.  H.,  273 

Wagner,  Cosima,  109,  110 

Richard,  42,  76,  81,  109,  110, 

186,  192 

Wagner  operas,  and  Adelina  Patti, 
42;  and  Materna  and  Lehmann, 
109,110;  and  Albani,  118;  and 
Charles  R.  Adams,  130;  first  pro- 
duction in  Chicago,  263 

Wahl,  Louis,  267 

Wakefield  Opera  House,  St.  Louis, 
48 

Walker,  George  S.,  306 

"Walkure,  Die,"  209,  252,  309 

Wallhofen,  Baron,  95 

Wallhofen-Lucca,  Baroness  Pauline 
(Pauline  Lucca),  93 

Wallin,  Anna,  297 

"Walpurgis  Night,"  see  "First  Wal- 
purgis  Night" 

Waltzes,  Johann  Strauss's,  202,  203 

"Wanderer,"  Schubert,  132 

"Wanderer's  Night  Song,"  Kuhlau, 
275 

War  songs,  232,  300,  302-304 

Ward,  Artemus,  78,  115 

Warner,  S.  P.,  220 


INDEX 


345 


Warren,  Seth  P.,  215 

William,  217 

Watson,  Mrs.  Regina,  292 

Webb,  300 

Weber,  27 

Weber  concerto,  250 

Webster,  C.  W.,  259 

"Wedding  Day,  The,"  315 

Wehli,  James  M.,  84,  85,  200,  239, 

240,  266 
Weinberg,  Emil,  263,  266 
Weinlich,  basso,  236 
Weinman,  clarinet,  257 
"Welcome  to  America,"  18 
Weld,  Arthur,  297 
"Werther,"  309 
Wessells,  Frederick  J.,  318 
West   Side   Opera   House,   Chicago, 

285 
Wethersby,  Eliza,  155 
"When     Johnny     comes     marching 

Home  Again,"  195 
"When    the    Swallows    Homeward 

Fly,"  204 
Whiffen,  Tom,   135,   136,   148,   150, 

247 
White,  Mrs.  C.  B.,  274 

Miss  Ella  A.,  272,  289 

Priscilla,  298 

Richard  Grant,  155 

"White  Fawn,  The,"  155,  249 
Whiting,  organist,  299 

Virginia  (Lorini),  233,  235 

Whitney,  Myron,  88,  133,  134,  146, 

149,  150,  208,  267,  290 
Whytal,  J.  J.,  272 

Wieniawski    (or   Wieniawsky),    vio- 
linist, 67-69,  79,  170,  289 
Wigwam,  Chicago,  scene  of  Lincoln's 

nomination,  131,  212 
Wild,  Harrison,  286,  291,  299,  318 
Wilder,  George,  297 
Wilhelmj,  August,  64,  69,  70 
"Wilhelmus  van  Nassouwe,"  304 
Wilhorst,  Cora,  229 
William,  Emperor,  of  Germany,  94 
"William  Tell,"  308 
Williams,  Frank  B.,  287 


Willis,  N.  P.,  105 

Wilson,  George  H.,  295 

Winant,  Emily,  208,  209 

Winch,  J.  W.,  290 

"Wine,  Woman,  and  Song,"  Johann 
Strauss,  202 

Winkelmann,  Hermann,  209 

"Winning  Girl,  The,"  315 

"Witch  Dance,"  Paganini's,  39 

"Wizard  of  the  Nile,  The,"  315 

Wolf,  285 

Sigrid,  298 

Wolfsohn,  Carl,  291,  292,  317 

Woman's  Building,  Columbian  Ex- 
position, 296 

"Woodland,"  315 

Woodruff,  violinist,  58,  59 

Henry,  150 

Wood's  Museum,  248 

Wood's  Museum  Company,  285 

Wordragen,  Kate,  285 

Work,  Henry  Clay,  303 

World's  Fair  music,  294-300 

Wright,  Belle  I.,  298 

Wyndham  Company,  285 

Wythe,  Miss,  music  teacher,  214 

Ximenes,  basso,  239,  243 

"Yankee  Consul,  The,"  315 
"Yankee  Doodle,"  304 
"Yankee  Tourist,  The,"  315 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 

Chicago,  285 
Young,  Otto,  306 

"Zampa,"  53,  54,  243,  257 
Zapucci,  Mme.,  235,  238,  243 
"Zarathustra,"     Richard      Strauss, 

188 
Zeisler,  Fanny  B.,  297 
Zerrahn,  Carl,  54,  204 
Ziegfeld,  Dr.  Florence,  317 
Ziehn,  Bernhard.  318 
Zoehler,  viola,  233 
Zoellner,  Heinrich,  297 
Zohler,  flutist,  199 
Zucchi,  soprano,  238-240 


OTHER    WORKS    BY 

GEORGE    P.   UPTON 


OTHER    WORKS    BY   GEORGE   P.    UPTON 

UNIFORM  WITH   "THE   STANDARD   CONCERT  GUIDE" 

THE 
STANDARD    OPERAS 

New  Revised  Illustrated  Edition 

Nearly  one  hundred  and  forty  operas  are  described  in  this 
splendid  new  edition  of  Mr.  Upton's  Handbook.  It  is  now  in 
every  respect  the  most  complete,  the  most  detailed,  and  the 
most  interesting  of  all  opera  guides.  In  every  case  a  careful 
resume  of  the  plot  is  given,  with  discriminating  comments  on 
the  music,  and  a  description  of  each  number.  Nearly  one 
hundred  pictures  from  photographs  of  famous  singers  are  so 
placed  as  actually  to  illustrate  the  text,  not  merely  to  provide 
a  gallery  of  celebrities.  Twenty-six  composers  are  represented. 
Finally  ^  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  speak  at  length  of  the  author's 
qualifications  as  a  writer  on  music,  for  his  reputation  has  been 
established  by  a  large  number  of  standard  and  popular  works. 

Over  half  the  operas  in  this  edition  do  not  appear  in  the 
earlier  forms.  Among  these  might  be  mentioned  Gounod's 
"  Philemon  and  Baucis,"  Halevy's  "  L'  Eclair,"  Marschner's 
"Hans  Heiling,"  Mascagni's  "Iris""  and  "L'  Ami  Fritz,"" 
Masses  "  Paul  et  Virginie,"  Massenet's  "  Le  Roi  de  Lahore," 
"  Manon,"  and  "  Esclarmonde,"  Puccini's  "  La  Boheme,"  Reyer's 
"  Sigurd,"  Rubinstein's  "  Nero,"  Saint-Saens's  "  Samson  and 
Delila,"  Richard  Strauss's  "  Feuersnot,"  Tschaikowsky's  "  Eugen 
Onegin,"  and  Siegfried  Wagner's  "  Der  Barenhiiuter." 

"  It  is  undoubtedly  the  most  complete  and  intelligent  exposi- 
tion of  this  subject  that  has  ever  been  attempted." — St.  Louis 
Republic. 

"  The  summaries  of  the  plots  are  so  clear,  logical,  and  well 
written  that  one  can  read  them  with  real  pleasure,  which  cannot 
be  said  of  the  ordinary  operatic  synopses." —  The  Nation,  New 
York. 

Price,  $1.75 

A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO.,  Publishers 


OTHER   WORKS    BY   GEORGE    P.   UPTON 


HANDBOOKS  ON  MUSIC 

Many  of  Mr.  Upton's  new  readers  will  be  interested  in  these  earlier  works, 
which,  though  published  for  a  number  of  years,  continue  to  enjoy  their  old 
popularity  as  musical  reference  works  on  their  respective  subjects. 

THE   STANDARD  OPERAS 

Their  Plots,  their  Music,  and  their  Composers 

In  this  book  it  is  the  intention  to  present  to  the  reader  a  brief  but  com- 

Erehensive  sketch  of  the  operas  contained  in  the  modern  repertoire  that  are 
kely  to  be  given  during  the  regular  seasons.  In  each  case  the  author  has 
given  a  brief  sketch  of  the  composer's  life,  the  story  of  each  opera,  the  general 
character  of  the  music,  and  its  prominent  scenes  and  numbers  —  the  latter  in 
the  text  most  familiar  to  concert-goers. 

THE   STANDARD  LIGHT   OPERAS 

Their  Plots  and  their  Music 

The  present  volume  is  a  comprehensive  and  exceedingly  useful  little  book, 
whose  character  and  scope  are  exactly  indicated  by  the  title.  Over  seventy 
musical  comedies  and  operas  are  included,  representative  of  Auber,  Sullivan, 
Planquette,  DeKoven,  Offenbach,  Suppe,  etc. 

THE   STANDARD  ORATORIOS 

Their  Stories,  their  Music,  and  their  Composers 

The  same  method  of  description  which  has  proved  so  successful  in  the 
previous  works  has  been  employed  to  present  a  comprehensive  sketch  of  the 
oratorios  which  may  be  called  "  standard." 

THE   STANDARD  CANTATAS 

Their  History,  their  Music,  and  their  Composers 

In  his  Introduction  Mr.  Upton  says  :  "The  word  'Cantata'  is  so  flexible 
and  covers  so  wide  an  area  in  music  that  it  has  been  a  work  of  some  difficulty 
to  decide  upon  the  compositions  that  properly  belong  in  this  volume.  It  is 
believed,  however,  that  the  most  important  of  the  modern  cantatas  have  been 
included." 

THE   STANDARD   SYMPHONIES 

Their  History,  their  Music,  and  their  Composers 

For  the  regular  patron  of  orchestral  concerts  this  book  is  invaluable.  All 
the  masterpieces  of  this  form  of  composition  are  clearly  described,  with 
portions  of  the  scores  reproduced  to  illustrate  or  elucidate  numerous  passages. 

Bound  In  flexible  cloth,  12mo,  per  volume,  si  .:.<> 

The  five  volume*,  boxed,  per  set,  87.75 

The  same,  half  calf  or  half  morocco,  per  net,  SI  7. BO 


A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO.,  Publishers 


OTHER    WORKS    BY    GEORGE    P.    UPTON 


THEODORE  THOMAS 

A  Musical  Autobiography,  edited  by  George  P.  Upton 
Volume  I,  Life  Work;  Volume  II,  Concert  Programmes 

In  a  prefatory  note  the  editor  says  :  "  The  sudden  death  of 
Mr.  Thomas,  which  occurred  January  4,  1905,  would  have 
necessitated,  from  a  strict  biographical  point  of  view,  some 
changes  in  the  manuscript  which  he  furnished,  and  which  he 
took  such  pleasure  in  writing  last  summer  at  Felsengarten,  his 
New  Hampshire  summer  home.  I  have  preferred,  however,  to 
leave  his  preface  and  autobiography  as  he  wrote  them,  feeling 
certain  that  if  any  incongruities  appear,  this  explanation  will 
account  for  them.  Not  having  all  his  references  with  him, 
Mr.  Thomas  naturally  touched  briefly  upon  many  events  in  his 
exceptionally  long  career,  and  in  such  instances  I  have  sought 
to  fill  out  his  narrative  with  notes  based  upon  authentic 
documents.1' 

A  grateful  feature,  to  Theodore  Thomas's  admirers,  will  be 
the  Appendix  of  these  volumes,  containing  some  of  the  note- 
worthy tributes  to  his  genius  and  his  unique  devotion  to  his 
art ;  another  is  the  splendid  series  of  portraits  and  other  illus- 
trations with  which  the  volumes  are  provided. 

"  It  will  be  treasured  as  the  record  of  the  life  of  a  remarkable  man  and 
as  an  authentic  history  of  musical  development  in  this  country."  —  New  York 
Times  Review. 

"The  'Autobiography'  has  a  permanent  value  that  cannot  be  too 
strongly  dwelt  upon.  .  .  .  We  hope  that  every  musical  American  will  study 
these  important  volumes,  that  he  may  realize  the  debt  he  owes  to  Theodore 
Thomas."  —  Louis  C.  Elson,  in  the  Boston  Advertiser. 

"  The  *  Autobiography  '  is  one  of  the  most  important  contributions  in 
years  to  the  history  of  American  music. "  —  Pittsburg  Gazette. 

Sold  singly,  large  8vo,  per  volume,  $2.50  net 

The  two  volumes  boxed,  per  set,  $5.00  net 

The  same,  half  calf  or  half  morocco,  gilt  top,  $11.00  net 

The  same,  large-paper  edition,  limited,  $25.00  net 


A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO.,  Publishers 


OTHER   WORKS    BY   GEORGE    P.    UPTON 

THE 

STANDARD  CONCERT 

GUIDE 

A  HANDBOOK  OF  THE  STANDARD  SYMPHONIES 

ORATORIOS,  CANTATAS,  AND  SYMPHONIC 

POEMS   FOR   THE   CONCERT  GOER 


IT  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  author  of  " The  Standard  Concert 
Guide"  to  substitute  it  for  the  "Standard  Oratorios,"  "Stand- 
ard Symphonies,"  and  "  Standard  Cantatas  "  which  have  been 
so  long  at  the  service  of  musical  students  and  music  lovers,  but 
rather  to  combine  these  works  in  a  single  volume  for  more  convenient 
use  and  thus  make  it  of  value  both  for  concert  and  library  purposes. 
To  this  end  the  analytical  text  of  the  older  works  has  been  con- 
densed sufficiently  to  admit  of  its  presentation  in  one  convenient 
volume,  and  some  new  matter  has  been  added  to  bring  it  down  to 
date,  including  notices  of  works  by  Bruckner,  Cowen,  Dvorak,  Elgar, 
Franck,  Mackenzie,  Parker,  Parry,  Sinding,  Richard  Strauss,  and 
Tchaikovsky.  The  new  volume  is  also  enriched  with  portraits  of 
the  composers  whose  works  are  described  in  it.  In  brief,  the  author 
has  sought  to  present  a  compact  and  handy  concert  guide  to  the 
public  through  the  realm  of  the  symphony,  symphonic  poem,  oratorio, 
and  cantata.  The  text  has  been  made  as  untechnical  as  possible, 
so  as  to  be  intelligible  to  those  unacquainted  with  the  science  of 
music,  and  the  work  is  offered  to  the  public  with  the  hope  that 
it  may  prove  useful  for  general  reference  and  satisfactory  as  a 
"Standard  Concert  Guide." 

With  many  Portraits,  $1.75 


A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO.,  Ptiblishers 


OTHER   WORKS    BY   GEORGE    P.    UPTON 


MUSICAL   PASTELS 

Essays  on  Quaint  and  Curious  Musical  Subjects 

The  titles  are  :  Nero,  the  Artist  —  The  Musical  Small-coals 
Man  —  Music  and  Religion  —  The  First  American  Composer  — 
The  Beggars  Opera  —  The  First  Opera  —  Some  Musical  Con- 
troversies —  A  Musical  Royal  Family  —  The  Bull-finch  and  the 
Nightingale  —  The  Man  Beethoven. 

Of  "  Musical  Pastels ""  the  Chicago  Record-Herald  says  :  "  In 
this  volume  he  speaks  as  the  music-lover  rather  than  as  the 
critic ;  browsing  genially  among  the  curious  and  half-forgotten 
lore  of  his  rare  musical  library,  content  to  be  guided  by  fancy 
and  to  say  only  kindly  things.  The  book  will  be  treasured  for 
its  restful  and  pleasing  companionship  quite  as  much  as  for  the 
information  it  contains." 

With  12  full-page  illustrations  from  rare  engravings 

Square  8vo,  $1.50 

The  same,  half  morocco,  gilt  edges,  special  $3.50 


WOMAN    IN    MUSIC 

In  a  series  of  comparatively  brief  chapters  Mr.  Upton  has 
given  a  kind  of  interior  history  of  the  domestic  and  heart  rela- 
tions of  such  composers  as  Bach,  Handel,  Beethoven,  Mozart, 
Schumann,  Chopin,  and  Wagner. 

16mo,  gilt  top,  $1.00 
The  same,  half  morocco,  gilt  top,  special  $2.50 


A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO.,  Ptiblishers 


OTHER   WORKS    BY   GEORGE    P.    UPTON 


EDOUARD   RE3IENYI 

MUSICIAN,  LITTERATEUR,  AND  MAN 

In  collaboration  with  Gwendolyn  Kelley 

With  sketches  of  his  life  and  artistic  career,  by  friends  and  contemporaries, 
to  which  are  added  critical  reviews  of  his  playing  and  selections  from  his 
literary  papers  and  correspondence. 

The  book  is  arranged  in  four  parts.  The  first  comprises  the  biographical 
matter  by  the  editors  and  others ;  the  second  consists  chiefly  of  anecdotes ; 
the  third  is  devoted  to  his  own  letters  and  sketches ;  and  the  fourth  to 
appreciations  by  the  press. 

Of  this  work  the  Musical  Leader  writes  :  "An  addition  of  decided  value 
to  musical  bibliography,  which  should  find  a  place  on  the  shelves  of  even  the 
modest  musician's  library."  The  Musical  Courier  finds  it  "Exceedingly 
interesting  to  those  who  are  interested  in  his  personality,  which  was  effer- 
vescent, kindly,  and  generous. " 

With  many  illustrations  from  photographs 
8vo,  gilt  top,  SI. 75  net 
The  same,  half  calf  or  half  morocco,  gilt  top,  $4.00  net 


LIFE   STORIES   FOR 
YOUNG  PEOPLE 

Translated  from  the  German  by  GEORGE    P.  UPTON 
Four  delightful  musical  biographies  are  included  in  this  series : 
BEETHOVEN  MOZART,    and 

JOHANN  SEBASTIAN  BACH  JOSEPH  HAYDN 

A  new  and  interesting  set  of  biographical  romances  whose  simple  and 
fascinating  presentation  make  them  useful  in  the  home  as  well  as  the  music- 
school  library.  They  retain  the  story  form  throughout,  and  embody  in  the 
several  chapters  some  stirring  event  in  the  life  of  the  hero.  Though  written 
primarily  for  children,  they  contain  much  of  interest  to  readers  of  every  age. 
Each  volume  is  illustrated. 

"These  volumes,"  says  the  Boston  Transcript,  "are  in  every  way  as 
entertaining  as  the  most  aggressive  romance  aimed  directly  at  the  childish 
fancy,  and  they  have  the  very  obvious  merit  of  leading  the  youthful  mind 
toward  the  best  of  classic  reading  and  the  most  accurate  narratives  of  human 
achievement." 

Small  square  1  Sum,  GO  cents  Met 
The  same,  hand  colored,  in  special  binding,  81-25  «f( 

A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO.,  Publishers 


RETURN  TO  the  circulation  desk  of  any 
University  of  California  Library 
or  to  the 
NORTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
Bldg.  400,  Richmond  Field  Station 
University  of  California 
Richmond,  CA  94804-4698 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

•  2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 
(510)642-6753 

•  1-year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing 
books  to  NRLF 

•  Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4 
days  prior  to  due  date. 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


FFB  7  1 1997 


DEC  04  2001 


12.000(11/95) 


UCUtiai 


LD21A-10m-10,'74(S1945i,)  University  of  California 

Berkeley 


ML423.U6.A4 
C037073355 

UC    BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 
Nil     till      II  I 


CD37D7335S 


/  WW 

Hurt 


255141 


I     11  II    I  ill 


1 


11 
I 


Pi 


!  ill!  I  III 


